Faerie Confrontations
by tokiwashojo
Summary: Sakuragi, Kogure, Akagi and Miyagi are brought to the land of Faerie, a land totally different from theirs. Relationships are formed as a new chapter in that foreign land's history is written. (pairings RuHana,ToruFuji, Makifuji,Senkosh, mitmiyako,AkaAya)
1. Prologue

Title:Faerie Confrontations  
  
Part: Prologue  
  
Author: Nanako  
  
Genre: Fantasy, Alternate Universe, Romance  
  
Pairing: RuHana, HanaFuji(Hanagata),MakiFuji, SenKosh, MitMiyaKo, AkaAya  
  
Rating:PG  
  
E-mail:ishpoof@i-manila.com.ph  
  
Warning: the characters are sometimes ooc  
  
Disclaimer: Salm Dunk is Takehito Inoue's and will never be mine (sob)  
  
Dedicated to Nagyra, who brought me back from writer's block land Afuna, you know why already ^^ And to Yen, thanks for everything  
  
  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
It was a warm summer night, the stars were scattered in the sky with the faintest glows while the full moon shown its brightest.  
  
All was well in the silent night, until the velvet black of the night sky was tainted by a red scar which was afflicted by the sudden eruption of flames.  
  
"Mommy! Mommy!" squealed a little boy as his mother pushed him out of the burning house. The smoke and dust hurt his eyes and the heat of the flame burned his skin. But the little boy knew that his mother would not be safe, staying within their home turned inferno.  
  
His mother's long red tresses flew wildly around her angelic face as tears fell down upon the young boy's similar dirt-smudged cheeks. "Go, go and live a long and happy life. You have to live Hana, my precious little angel. You have to live, you don't deserve to die here, there are a lot of things life still has to offer in your young age. I don't not want you to get tangled in the feud that has destroyed our family, this is the reason why I want you to be free. But promise to go back and save our people when you are already ready. Do not let our sacrifices fade out in vain."  
  
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
Sakuragi's eyes fluttered open and he sat up on his bed, barely stifling the scream which strained to escape from his lips.  
  
He wiped a sheen of sweat which had formed on his chin and thought, 'It's that dream again, that same horrid nightmare..."  
  
"You okay Hanamichi?"  
  
Sakuragi looked towards the door of his room and saw one of his best friends - Kogure Kiminobu - standing in the doorway. "Yeah, I'm okay Kiminobu. Don't worry about me," he replied.  
  
A look of worry clouded Kogure's deep brown eyes. But it disappeared as soon as it appeared. He smiled at Sakuragi and asked, "Can you stand up? If you can't then I am more than willing to take your food here so that you can eat in your room."  
  
Sakuragi shook his head and returned Kogure's smile. "No, don't worry about me Kiminobu. I think I'm already strong enough to stand up and go down to join you guys for breakfast."  
  
Kogure nodded and left Sakuragi's room, closing the door softly as he left.  
  
Once he was all alone, Sakuragi's mind drifted back to his nightmare. "Why now?" he whispered to no one in particular. "Why did that dream come back after 11 long years since my mom died?"  
  
He ran his hand through his thick red hair and sighed. His mom's death in that fire, saving his life while sacrificing herself, the way she had so lovingly risked her own life for him, these were all the things that he had forced himself to forget as a child. She had pushed him out of their burning home, and that was the reason why she was unable to escape, the reason why she had died. He had always thought that he was the reason that she died. HE was the reason why she didn't save her own life in the first place.  
  
Keeping this in mind, the self consuming guilt of an innocent child, that horrifying event haunted his sleep every night. And for a few months after the incident, he had always cried in bed, refused to sleep or even eat.  
  
But as he grew, he saw that living in the past was useless, futile. There was nothing that could bring her back. There was nothing that could reunite him with his mother.  
  
And, as he registered this thought, the dreams had stopped haunting him. Why the hell was it haunting him again now that he was an adult? He had been living in peace, unconcerned with the past. So why now, why did it come back to haunt him after so long?  
  
As he was thinking, his stomach growled in protest. Sakuragi gave a soft laugh and touched his stomach. "I guess I'll have to place my worries aside from now .So don't be too impatient. I'm going already."  
  
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
Sakuragi entered the dining room and greeted his friends before sitting down on his chair, "Good morning Takenori, Kiminobu, Ryota."  
  
Their dining table was a long rectangular one. And Akagi Takenori, being the eldest of the four, sat at the end of the long table, with Miyagi, Kogure and Sakuragi sitting on either side of the tall man.  
  
"Good morning to you Hanamichi," greeted Akagi as he looked up at Sakuragi to note of his presence and proceeded to put a spoonful of omelet into his mouth.  
  
"I trust you slept well?" asked the curly-haired Miyagi. "Considering that you just got well from a fever, we thought you wouldn't be fit enough to get up from bed. Being the big and bouncy genius that you always claim to be, you shouldn't have gotten sick in the first place."  
  
Sakuragi paused midway from putting a slice of hotdog into his mouth, turned to the shorter boy and raised a brow questioningly, "What happened to you while I was sick Ryota? Ate something that made you concerned for my welfare? You should have eaten something to increase your height."  
  
Miyagi turned a deep shade of red and shut up.  
  
Sakuragi smiled and put another spoonful into his mouth. He knew how much Miyagi hated any comments about his height and it was the only way Sakuragi knew how to get back at him.  
  
"But you ARE feeling better now right?" Kogure asked. And from across the table, worried behind-the-spectacle brown eyes met lively chestnut brown ones.  
  
"Yeah," Sakuragi replied, finishing the last of his sausages and looking for another dish to devour. "I'm feeling better now Kiminobu, thanks for your care and concern."  
  
"Will you be able to come with me to work today Hanamichi?" Akagi asked.  
  
Sakuragi was about to answer an affirmative but Kogure immediately disagreed. He stood up from his chair and in a scolding tone, told Akagi, "Takenori! How could you ask that from Hanamichi?! He has just gotten well from his fever; you cannot possibly ask him to go to work, can you?"  
  
"Alright, just make sure that he stays out of mischief," said Akagi. He stood up, took his briefcase with him and left for work.  
  
Sakuragi gulped down his glass of water and turned to Kogure, "Kiminobu, can I help?"  
  
"In the household work?" Kogure asked.  
  
Sakuragi nodded.  
  
"I think you'd better rest some more Hanamichi," Kogure said. "You just got well so I don't want you to exert much of your energy yet."  
  
"What he means to say is that you cause more trouble than actually "helping out" with the housework Hanamichi," interrupted Miyagi, casting the redhead a big goofy grin.  
  
"What did you say?!" exclaimed an irritated Sakuragi, who was readying himself to pound the smaller boy to dust.  
  
"Hanamichi! Ryota!" Kogure exclaimed, placing himself between the two troublesome boys. "Stop quarreling like kids and act like teenagers for once!" He looked at Sakuragi sternly and said in a firm tone, "Hanamichi, go up to your room and get some more rest. Now." Then he faced Miyagi and said in the same tone of voice, "You're coming with me."  
  
Both boys were about to complain but before they could, Kogure added, "No buts. Now d as I ay or Takenori will hear about this."  
  
"Oh well...,"sighed Sakuragi as he headed back to his room. As he was walking up the stairs, he caught the faint complaints from Miyagi as the two were heading out of the house. "But Kiminobu..."  
  
And Sakuragi heard the firm voice of Kogure reprimanding Miyagi. "No buts Ryota. Now you'll help me or..."  
  
Sakuragi had just reached his room, and immediately shut his bedroom door shut after he entered. He had no intention of eavesdropping on those two. He sat down in his bed and thought about what he could do.  
  
He was free the whole day, but he can't help in chores, can't go out and of course, Kogure would never allow him to play his favorite sport - basketball. He looked around the room and sighted the picture album he had put aside a long time ago.  
  
It was on the floor beside an old stack of magazines which Sakuragi would read once in a while. With nothing better to do, he picked it up and put it down on his bed.  
  
After brushing off the accumulated dust on its covers, he opened the picture album and smiled as familiar memories rushed back to him with each picture that he looked at.  
  
Actually, the first picture brought a very painful memory to him, but still, even with the sorrow, a lot of happy memories accompanied the picture. It was the only picture he had which had only his mom and himself in it.  
  
He combed his right hand through his fiery red locks as he faintly remembered how the picture had acquired its lightly burnt sides.  
  
It was faint, but he was very sure, that at the very same time that his mother had pushed him out of their burning house 11 years ago, she had shoved something into his hands. It was the picture they had taken a few hours before Sakuragi became orphaned.  
  
Brushing the unhappy memory aside, Sakuragi studied the picture closely, something he hadn't done since his mother passed away, for the memory of her death was too much to bear for such a young child. But now, he was more mature and more than ready to accept his mother's fate.  
  
The picture he had with her was the last picture they had taken as mother and son. His mom had taken him to a park where the Sakura trees blossomed. And it was there when she had explained to the five year old boy where he got his surname. And that he meant so much to her that she named him after the precious little flowers. Although his memories of her seemed faded and distant, Sakuragi knew and was very sure, that he was very happy with his mother and that they loved each other very much.  
  
Looking at the picture, he noticed that he had inherited his mother's fiery red hair, her lively chestnut brown eyes and the sincerest of smiles. In fact he looked exactly like her, except her features were more petite and feminine compared to his rather masculine build.  
  
He never knew anything about his father, for his mother never talked about him or mentioned him and Sakuragi never asked about him either. Besides, his mother took care of him so much that the five year old didn't have any need of a father.  
  
Finally, after a few minutes, Sakuragi lifted the page to look at the next set of pictures.  
  
The next picture was cleaner than the first, but nevertheless it had the same burns on the edges. It was a picture of Sakuragi, Miyagi, Akagi, Kogure and their mothers.  
  
Looking back into the past again, Sakuragi remembered that their mothers had been very close friends.  
  
They had been neighbors ever since, and that is the reason why Sakuragi had known Akagi, Kogure and Miyagi in the first place.  
  
They had become close the first time they ever met. The serious Akagi Takenori with the fist of justice; the quiet, sweet, motherly yet always responsible, wise and reprimanding Kogure Kiminobu; and the small but terrible center of mischief Miyagi Ryota. All three had been Sakuragi's close friends and they became inseparable best friends. And similar to Sakuragi, they too became orphaned 11 years ago, in the same incident.  
  
Surprisingly, all four boys passed and gone through scholarship programs and got into wonderful jobs after their graduation. Thus the reason as to why four orphaned teenagers owned and shared a huge expanse of land and a 3- storey house all on their own.  
  
In the same manner that he studied his mother's picture, he studied his friends' mothers. Akagi's mom had the same black hair, black serious eyes, dark skin complexion and the height as well. Kogure's mom was tall and beautiful. She had big, brown and knowing eyes, and long auburn hair that reached her waist. Except for the spectacles Kogure wore since childhood, they looked totally identical. Miyagi's mom was also short, had long curly brown hair and had the same naughty expression on her face as her son had.  
  
Sakuragi gave out a small laugh, oh how their mothers resembled them all so!  
  
He was still laughing a bit as he began to turn the page but a voice stopped him.  
  
'Help!'  
  
It was loud and clear, yet Sakuragi was unsure if he really heard it or not, because it seemed as if he only heard it in his mind. Thinking that it was simply a product of his wild imagination brought about by this reminiscing, Sakuragi resumed looking at the pictures.  
  
But as he was looking at the picture of him and his friends graduating from middle school, the voice came back.  
  
'Help me!!!'  
  
The sudden urgency of the voice made Sakuragi's blood run cold. There was no way he could ignore the voice now. He knew that he only 'heard' it in his mind, but he was very sure that it was coming from a girl, he didn't know how he knew but he was very sure.  
  
He decided he had to take action and this matter could not wait for Akagi's return. Sick or not, he did not care, there was someone in dire need of help and he could not wait for permission to help somebody, especially a girl.  
  
Abruptly closing the picture album, Sakuragi jumped off his bed and put his sneakers on, clumsily and hastily. Then he opened the door and ran down the stairs. But, as circumstance would have it, Kogure and Miyagi were both in the living room, cleaning.  
  
Kogure caught sight of Sakuragi immediately and a slight frown crossed his handsome features. "Where do you think you're going Hanamichi?"  
  
Miyagi, noticing Kogure's tone, looked up from his chores and asked Sakuragi in a mischievous tone, "Planning to escape to play basketball again Hanamichi?"  
  
"Shut up Ryota," Sakuragi said, sharply. Then turning to Kogure, he said, "Kiminobu, someone out there is in danger and needs my help."  
  
Kogure wasn't buying it and Sakuragi knew it. "I keep on hearing her voice in my head Kiminobu. I know it's weird but I'm very serious about this! Look let me pass, give me thirty minutes and I'll prove to you that I'm right."  
  
Now Kogure looked uncertain. For Sakuragi never used that tone of voice unless he was really determined to do something. It was totally identical to the way he had first decided to play basketball, which no one believed he would play in more than five days, but had actually devoted his very life to the sport until now.  
  
"Please Kiminobu?"  
  
"Oh all right," said Kogure, finally giving up. "But only for thirty minutes. You have to get back here by then ore else I'll tell Takenori that you've been fooling around again."  
  
"Thanks Kiminobu, I owe you one," said the redhead, who in a flash, left the house.  
  
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
Sakuragi ran out of the house like a deranged madman to look for the person who had been calling for help, because, as soon as he closed the front door, the cries came back again, but with much more intensity.  
  
'Help me! Anyone please?!'  
  
"Damn it! It's getting fainter," Sakuragi cursed under his breath as he started to run. "I hope I can find her in time."  
  
It was barely 8 o'clock in the morning and most of the people in the city were either working or studying.  
  
He ran and ran, using the voice in his mind as a guide. Because the stronger it got, the surer Sakuragi was of the path he was treading.  
  
He ran along the main road of the city, took a few turns here and there and finally, he entered a small alley. But as he did, the presence in his mind vanished completely.  
  
"Damn it!" he cursed again.  
  
He ran deeper into the alley, no longer caring about the fact that there might be danger lurking within it.  
  
He ran on and on and on...until he caught sight of a young girl, dressed in a flowery gown, lying facedown on the floor, unconscious.  
  
'I hope I'm not too late,' Sakuragi thought as he knelt beside the unconscious girl. He felt for her pulse and was so relieved when he found her pulse moving at a normal rate.  
  
He carefully carried the girl into his arms and brought her with him. The girl had long brown hairand a fair complexion. She was a lot smaller and lighter than the redhead and it made Sakuragi's job of carrying her easier.  
  
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
"Oh my God...," were the first words that came out of Kogure's mouth as Sakuragi entered the house with the unconscious girl in his arms.  
  
The normally strength filled and adrenaline pressured redhead used surprising gentleness as he lowered the girl on the couch. "See? I told you I wasn't lying."  
  
"But is she ok?" Miyagi asked.  
  
"I guess so, since her pulse was normal when I checked it," Sakuragi replied. "I'll wait for her to wake up; she might know why I kept on hearing her voice in my head."  
  
Kogure sighed in relief upon knowing that the girl was alright and unharmed. "Guys, take care of her, I will just go out and buy some groceries, ok?"  
  
The two nodded, and with a small wave, Kogure was out the door.  
  
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
About an hour later, Kogure could be seen walking home from the grocery store, with plastic bags filled with groceries in his hands.  
  
He was so engrossed in getting home immediately; because he was afraid that the unconscious girl might wake up and find herself in the presence of complete strangers who looked a lot like gangsters; that he did not notice the presence of an approaching man.  
  
He was only able to "know" of that certain man's presence when they crashed into each other. And of course, Kogure's groceries were all sent crashing to the floor as well.  
  
"Are you alright?!" the man asked worriedly.  
  
Kogure looked up at him but couldn't make out the man's features clearly for his vision was blurred. Obviously, he had lost his glasses when they had bumped into each other.  
  
"Here, I believe these are yours," said the man, putting Kogure's glasses back on for him.  
  
"Thanks," said Kogure as he smiled at the man. The man had long midnight blue hair nearly tied into a ponytail, deep blue eyes, a small scar on the left side of his handsome face and a smile which showed all sincerity.  
  
"My name's Mitsui, Mitsui Hisashi," said the long - haired stranger.  
  
"I'm Kogure, Kogure Kiminobu," said Kogure.  
  
"I'll help you with those," Mitsui offered, indicating the messed up groceries. "And don't try to turn it down. It's the only way I can make up for crashing into you."  
  
"If you put it that way...then thanks," said Kogure with a big smile.  
  
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
It's been an hour and a half since Kogure left to buy the groceries. Sakuragi looked at the clock on the wall, then back at the unconscious girl. It's already been an hour and a half since Kogure left and the still doesn't seem to have any plan of waking up any time soon.  
  
Or perhaps Sakuragi thought of this too soon.  
  
Because at that moment, the unconscious girl opened her eyes; also at the exact same moment, Kogure entered the front door along with a stranger with long blue hair.  
  
The stranger with Kogure set the groceries down on the floor and the two of them joined Sakuragi and Miyagi in the living room. The girl, already fully awake at that time, sat up on the couch.  
  
The guy with Kogure and the once unconscious girl's eyes met and both exclaimed, "Big brother?!" and "Haruko?!" at the same time.  
  
"Why are you here Haruko?" the stranger asked the now fully conscious girl as he approached her.  
  
"Um..." Miyagi interrupted. "Could I interrupt this moment please?" He looked at both the guy and the girl and asked, "Before you two get into a detailed discussion, could you both tell us who you are first?"  
  
The girl blinked a pair of big brown eyes and looked questioningly at the long - haired stranger. "Big brother, why did you bring me here?"  
  
"I didn't bring you here," replied the man. "I just came here and when I did, I found you here as you are now, fully awake on these people's couch." He turned to Sakuragi and Miyagi and introduced himself, "My name is Mitsui Hisashi, and this is my younger sister, Haruko."  
  
"I am Miyagi Ryota."  
  
"And I'm Sakuragi Hanamichi."  
  
"So I've heard," Mitsui said. "Kogure told me about you guys and Akagi on our way here from the grocery store. You might be wondering why I, a complete stranger, accompanied your friend home. It's because I kinda bumped into him, literally, and I sort of scattered the groceries around and created a huge mess. So, as a way of apologizing, I helped him carry these home." He turned to Haruko, face stern and asked in a firm voice, "Where have you been?"  
  
"Well I... I sort of entered the Shadow Forest and I got lost. So I used a spell to..."  
  
"You used a spell to get out of the Shadow Forest?!" Mitsui bellowed. "How many times must Akira and I remind you that spells have disastrous effects when used inside that place unless the caster is of the angel level or higher?!"  
  
"I'm sorry Hisashi," apologized Haruko. "I forgot again. But once I knew that something was going wrong, I sent out a telepathic message thru my mind."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And I woke up here."  
  
"Actually," said Sakuragi, interrupting the conversation of the two siblings.  
  
Both Mitsui and Haruko turned to Sakuragi's direction and he continued, "I was looking at a photo album when I heard Haruko's voice in my head calling for help. I didn't really hear it but I knew she was in dire need of help."  
  
"You heard her? You actually heard her mind voice?!" Mitsui asked incredulously.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so..."  
  
Mitsui looked at Haruko and exclaimed, "This is great! I believe these humans possess strong psychic powers. They don't only see us, one of them can eve hear our mind voice!"  
  
"Do you think we should bring them with us?" Haruko asked, a big smile forming on her face.  
  
"I'll go ask Ayako first, that's when we'll decide. Wait for me here, I'll come back by tonight."  
  
Mitsui stood up and as soon as he did, he disappeared in a flash of white light.  
  
"What the heck was that?!" Miyagi yelled. While Sakuragi and Kogure both had their mouths firmly attached to the floor.  
  
Haruko smiled sweetly and said, "Don't be surprised. We will explain everything when my brother comes back. For now, you'll just have to wait."  
  
Tbc  
  
Author's notes: It's been a year since I last wrote a fanfic. So please forgive me if the characters are extremely ooc and also forgive the grammatical errors if you find any. 


	2. Chapter 1 The World of Faerie

Title:Faerie Confrontations  
  
Part: chapter1 Author: Nanako  
  
Genre: Fantasy, Alternate Universe, Romance  
  
Pairing: RuHana, HanaFuji(Hanagata),MakiFuji, SenKosh, MitMiyaKo, AkaAya  
  
Rating:PG  
  
E-mail:ishpoof@i-manila.com.ph  
  
Warning: the characters are sometimes ooc  
  
Disclaimer: Salm Dunk is Takehito Inoue's and will never be mine (sob)  
  
Dedicated to Nagyra, who brought me back from writer's block land, Afuna, you know why already ^^, And to Yen, thanks for everything  
  
CHAPTER 1  
  
The World of Faerie  
  
"Tadaima," said Akagi, as he closed the front door. It was a tiring day and all he wanted was a rest from work once he got home. But, as expected, once Akagi caught sight of Haruko dining with the other boys on their dining table, he exclaimed, "Who is this girl?!"  
  
"Takenori, we..." Kogure started.  
  
But Haruko had already began, "My, my, you should learn to control that loud voice and brash temper of yours Akagi." She smiled sweetly at him and said, "My name is Haruko, pleased to meet you. Your three friends here already told me about you."  
  
Akagi was about to say something but Haruko raised her right hand to silence him as she still had something else to say. "Now before anything else, I must inform you that it was your friend, Sakuragi Hanamichi, who saved my life. And the reason why I am here now is because I am waiting for my big brother - Mitsui Hisashi - to come here for me."  
  
"You saved her life?" Akagi asked Sakuragi once Haruko was done talking. He set his things down on the couch near the table as the redhead answered his question.  
  
"Yeah... I guess I did," replied the redhead a bit sheepishly.  
  
Akagi was about to sit in his position in the dining table when a bright light flashed. The bright light was coming from the chair beside Miyagi and when it was gone, Mitsui stood in its place, comfortably seated down on the chair in a rather lazy and casual manner.  
  
"Who is this?!" Akagi bellowed again, oblivious to the presence of other people in the room who were already cringing from the volume and force of his bellows.  
  
But Mitsui just looked at him, unaffected by his shouting and said in a clear and charming manner, "My name is Mitsui Hisashi, Haruko's elder brother. Your temper is really something of a bother, isn't it?" Then, completely ignoring the steaming Akagi, who was now beginning to resemble a very angry gorilla, he turned to his expectant sister and flashed her a big smile.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Sorry if it took me such a long time to get back here," Mitsui apologized. "Ayako had to call everyone together and since our dear brother Akira was having a fishing party in the Lake of Sheream, we still had to wait for him to arrive. And knowing this, all of our other dear cousins took their jolly good time in going to Eilandar as well. So it wasn't until a few minutes ago that everyone actually arrived. The meeting was short and in that short while, everyone agreed that it would be alright to take them with us. Although Ayako has a strong reason to believe that they might actually be faeries as well but just grew up in this world because, according to her, no matter how powerful human psychics are, they will never be powerful enough to hear our mind voice."  
  
"So they can come?" asked Haruko excitedly.  
  
"Since everyone thought it was okay, then we have leave to bring them with us sister," Mitsui said with a smile. Then he turned to the other four occupants of the room and asked, "Will it be alright if we explain everything to you guys right here right now?"  
  
"Fire away," Akagi said as he tiredly sat on his chair, propped his elbows on the table and rubbed his temples. He obviously had had too much of this Faerie thing already and this was already causing him a much hated headache.  
  
Mitsui took a deep breath and began, "I don't think I have to say this, because I think it is quite obvious and you guys have already probably guessed, but just so that you would know, Haruko and I aren't human beings. We, both of us, came from the royal line of our world - Faerie."  
  
"How does that explain your appearing and disappearing in brilliant flashes of light?" Sakuragi asked.  
  
Haruko replied, "As Hisashi said, we aren't humans. So we, faeries, have capabilities to cast spells and to control magic."  
  
"And what does any of this have to do with us?" Sakuragi pressed on.  
  
"Oh do be patient Hanamichi, I am getting there," Haruko said. "Now, like I said, we are capable of casting magical spells. And one of these spells just happens to be called Stealth. Stealth gives the caster the ability to become invisible to the eyes of others, unless the caster allows himself to be seen. My brother and I both had this spell cast on ourselves upon our arrival here. And all four of you are able to see us, which means that you guys must be from our world as well, although we have no idea how you guys could have come to this far a world such as this. And you, Sakuragi, you were able to hear my mind voice, while my own brother did not. It's so extraordinary, because you haven't even been trained yet, because normally, faeries need to be trained in order to hear or send one's thoughts to another!"  
  
"I was quite busy at that time Haruko," Mitsui defended. "Anyway, that was the reason why I went back to Faerie. I had to ask permission from our cousins if it would be alright if we brought you guys with us to our world.'  
  
"For what?" Kogure inquired. "For training of course," replied Mitsui. "You guys are too powerful. It would be such a waste to leave your powers dormant here in this world where powers aren't needed or appreciated."  
  
"So you're telling us that we should go to Faerie?" Miyagi asked.  
  
"Yes," Haruko replied.  
  
"And leave everything we have behind?"  
  
"Oh not everything Sakuragi," said Mitsui. "You can bring to Faerie whatever belongings you wish to bring with you."  
  
Kogure, Miyagi and Sakuragi all turned expectant eyes to Akagi.  
  
"What do you think Takenori?" Kogure asked him after a moment of silence. "Should we go and leave everything we have or should we do otherwise?"  
  
Akagi sighed and only then did he remove his fingers from his temples. "They do have a point. As much as this house means a lot to us, we can't ignore these "powers". If we don't know how to use them, they might endanger us or the people around us or those whom we work with. Go and pack your things."  
  
Sakuragi jumped off his seat, not minding whether his friends thought of him as an idiot for doing so, because all he wanted was to make sure that he brought all the things he considered dear with him.  
  
He ran to his room and picked up his gym bag, which was the biggest one he had. He placed it on his bed and grabbed his favorite clothing, his basketball team jersey, his disc man, cd's, his beloved basketball and his other personal things.  
  
He was about to zip his bag shut when he caught a glimpse of the picture album he was looking at earlier on his bed. So he picked it up and carefully, almost reverently, placed it inside his gym bag.  
  
After checking that all his most prized possessions were all in the bag, he zipped it and left his room.  
  
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
When Sakuragi reached their dining room, only a few minutes after eh left it, he found the others already waiting for him.  
  
"Takenori," he started, once he entered the room. "I was just wondering, you know, about our jobs...?"  
  
"I already called up the company," Replied Akagi. "I told our boss that we were quitting the job."  
  
"Now," interrupted Mitsui. "I believe everyone's ready?" He looked around, and seeing that no one intended to speak, continued, "I shall now open the portal which connects this world to ours, then."  
  
Mitsui was about to do what he intended to do, but Haruko interrupted him before he even had the chance to even begin what he intended to do. "Big brother, can I try the Teleportation spell?"  
  
Mitsui let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, Haruko. You can try it. The Teleportation spell is one of the easiest and simplest spells, so that even you won't be able to mess it up."  
  
Haruko smiled sweetly at her brother and began what she had tasked herself to do.  
  
She closed her eyes and placed both of her palms before her and they began to glow as she chanted the incantations for the Teleportation spell inaudibly.  
  
At the moment that Haruko started the spell, Sakuragi's head began to throb. And the more Haruko's palms glowed, the more pain his head received.  
  
But Sakuragi, being the self proclaimed genius that he is, didn't want anyone to get worried for him. So he endured the throbbing, and growing pain in his head, believing that he will last through this Teleportation. But he was wrong, terribly wrong.  
  
Because at the moment Haruko put her palms together, to signal the end of the incantation, Sakuragi's vision blurred for a few seconds before he blacked out completely and slipped into unconsciousness. [pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
Sakuragi opened his eyes, or at least he thought he did, because it seemed as though he was in a void of nothingness, a seemingly endless abyss of blackness surrounding him. There was nothing to see, nothing to touch, smell or even hear for it was so silent that the silence was deafening.  
  
And now 11 years after his mother passed away, Sakuragi once again felt the same fear from long ago grip his heart. He may be a genius or at least claim to be, and for 11 long years he had hidden himself behind a mask of false vigor and enthusiasm. He was afraid, he had been afraid ever since he was a child, and this false mask was what sheltered him since his childhood. But now, an experience such as this has awakened in him the fear which he always keeps hidden within the very depths of his heart and soul.  
  
"What's going on?!" he yelled. But his voice was only consumed by the endless darkness around him. Then, as if to answer his unheeded question, a series of images flashed before his very eyes.  
  
They were images of a little girl with long, curly, black hair and big brown eyes and a little boy with short brown hair and big innocent, blue eyes. They were clothed in robes that Sakuragi has never seen before.  
  
"Who are these children?" Sakuragi whispered as the images of the children playing and running around in a garden filled with floating fountains and blossoming cherry blossoms were shown before his very eyes.  
  
Then, all of a sudden, they stopped playing and from the image, looked directly at Sakuragi. And the little girl stretched her small arms to him and said in an excited tone, "Hana - kun! Come play with us!"  
  
Sakuragi could not understand why but the girl's hands passed through the image and extended over for Sakuragi to hold on to. He slowly inched his hand forward to accept the girl's invitation, when suddenly, the children in the image looked to their right, fear very evident in their young and expressive eyes.  
  
Sakuragi looked towards the direction they were looking, but he saw nothing.  
  
Then, without any warning at all, the image of the two children vanished and Sakuragi found himself back in the abyss of plain blackness.  
  
Fear gripped his heart once again and he felt his blood freeze in his veins as he heard a loud and sinister laugh, then... "Welcome back Hanamichi, welcome back." [pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
Sakuragi opened his heavy lidded eyes and saw a big pair of big brown eyes peering into his own.  
  
"Are you alright Hanamichi?"  
  
"Oh, Ms. Haruko!" Sakuragi exclaimed ad he was immediately snapped awake. He was on a couch of some kind, made from the softest cottons and the finest of velvets, and when he saw Haruko, he bolted straight up to a sitting position from his previous position of lying down. He forced a big grin on his face even though the voice he last heard before wking up kept on repeating itself over and over at the back of his brain. "Yes, I'm fine Ms. Haruko."  
  
"Are you sure?" she asked worriedly.  
  
"Yes I'm sure Ms. Haruko. See? I am up and ready!" Sakuragi replied with great fervor. He made no mention of the vision he had seen earlier, knowing that it would only make the Faerie princess more worried for his sake. Then the door behind Haruko opened and in stepped Mitsui, now dressed up in the same fashion as the little boy in Sakuragi's vision. He wore a deep brown robe, and underneath the robe was a white turtleneck and brown pants. He looked more regal than before, and his shoulder - length hair was loose, unlike the way it had been tied in a ponytail a while ago. Haruko herself, was dressed up in a long flowery gown, with bits of jewelry around her neck, arms and ears.  
  
"Is he up yet Haruko?" He looked at the now fully awake Sakuragi and smiled. "At least you've only been unconscious for an thirty minutes." You should be okay, nothing to be worried about." He looked at Haruko and said sternly, "The next time you volunteer to cast a spell, simple or complicated, make sure that nothing like this ever happens again."  
  
"I already told you big brother!" Haruko argued, standing up and stomping her foot stubbornly. "I made sure that the spell was cast correctly!"  
  
"Yeah yeah, whatever," Mitsui said, waving his hand absent - mindedly. He smiled at Sakuragi and said, "Come on, our cousin - the high queen Ayako and our other cousins await your presence in the banquet."  
  
"What about the others?"  
  
"They are already waiting for you as well. Come, I will teleport us there."  
  
Sakuragi closed his eyes and prepared himself for the pain when the Faerie prince closed his eyes and began to chant the spell inaudibly.  
  
But it didn't come. All Sakuragi felt was a warmth that enveloped him, it was so soothing and so comfortable, a direct contrast to the pain the same spell had caused him earlier. And when the warm presence was gone and he opened his eyes, he found himself in another room. "What..."  
  
"I told you, you did something wrong Haruko," Mitsui reprimanded Haruko again. "You see, I did the exact same spell and nothing happened to Sakuragi."  
  
Haruko pouted at Mitsui, but when she faced Sakuragi, she was smiling sweetly again. "Hanamichi, this is the dining hall of Faerie's capital - Eilandar," she explained, pointing at the big door they were standing directly in front of.  
  
Sakuragi was nervous about meeting the rest of the royal family, especially the high queen, but he didn't show it.  
  
Although he did not express his nervousness, Mitsui was able to sense it quite clearly. So he placed his hand on the nervous boy's shoulder and said, "Don't worry Sakuragi, Ayako may be rather strict but she isn't as terrible as you might think she is." He gave the redhead a small wink before opening the door.  
  
Sakuragi's eyes widened at the sight of the room. It was huge! In fact, calling it huge would have to be an understatement. It had huge stone walls with finely crafted wood and gold for its numerous pillars. Tapestries of white and gold combined lined the walls. Golden chandeliers gave flickering lights form their positions on the walls. At the far end of the room were two large windows which were adorned with white curtains trimmed with golden threads. And in the center of the ceiling was a huge chandelier which shown brightly in contrast with the smaller chandeliers in the room whose only purpose of being there was simply to decorate the room because of the faint light they gave off.  
  
The table in the center of the room was a long rectangular one. It was made from the finest wood and the purest of gold. Its golden trimmings and design were all similar to those of the pillars and walls.  
  
Sakuragi didn't notice that he had been staring at the room, speechless, ever since he entered it. He only realized this when he heard someone clear his throat to get the redhead's attention.  
  
Sakuragi got his wits back and finally, the thought of other people being in the same room as he was, registered in his awe - struck brain.  
  
Obviously it was Akagi who tried to get the redhead's attention, and this came as no surprise to Sakuragi. He quickly noticed that Akagi, Kogure and Miyagi were all wearing clothes of the same fashion as that of Mitsui's. Kogure and Miyagi, a few chairs away from where Akagi sat, gave the newcomers a small smile and a curt nod to acknowledge their presence. Sakuragi wondered why there were empty seats in between his friends and why they didn't choose to sit together.  
  
Akagi cleared his throat again and when Sakuragi looked back, a girl with long curly black hair, neatly kept underneath a tiara of gold and diamonds, was already seated on the large seat at the end of the table right beside Akagi.  
  
The girl had a few, but extravagant, jewelries on her ears and neck. She wore a long white gown and her hair, falling neatly back behind her, in full contrast with her gown. She carried herself with so much composure that Sakuragi felt his nervousness from before coming back at him in full force.  
  
The queen gently touched Akagi's arm and said in a soft voice, "Be gentle on him Akagi, there is no need to be so formal and strict, I can clearly see that the poor boy is nervous."  
  
When Akagi nodded, she smiled, satisfied, and turned to Sakuragi, eyes warm and kind. "Welcome to Faerie Sakuragi Hanamichi. This is the city of Eilandar, the capital of our harmonious land. And I am the high queen of Faerie - Ayako. I am a faerie of the Angel level and I am the only daughter of the late King Edward. Come and take a seat by my side, we shall await the arrival of the others."  
  
'The others?' Sakuragi thought as he did as the queen had instructed.  
  
Once her guest had already seated himself, Ayako turned to Mitsui and Haruko who were still standing up, a few feet away from the table. "Get the others."  
  
Haruko curtsied and Mitsui bowed elegantly and disappeared in a flash of light.  
  
When they disappeared, Ayako turned to Sakuragi and asked, "How are you feeling now?"  
  
"Um...fine..."  
  
"Oh don't be so nervous Sakuragi!" exclaimed the queen as she gave him a playful slap on his shoulder. "When the rest of my family arrives, you will see how unroyal - like we can be. And speaking of my family, please accept my apologies."  
  
"What for majesty?"  
  
"I heard that you had quite a bad experience of entering our world. It was because of Haruko's..."  
  
"It wasn't Princess Haruko's fault majesty," Sakuragi immediately cut in.  
  
"Really?" Ayako asked. "Although she is my cousin, Haruko is such a weak spell caster sad to say. Oh and please stop calling me majesty or queen when we are in informal occasions because if feels awkward. I would truly appreciate that, and so will my cousins if you stop the formality when it is not needed. I...."  
  
She was unable to finish what she was supposed to say because at that moment, six people appeared in the dining hall. And after giving either a curtsy or a bow to the high queen, they took their seats.  
  
"Alright, now we can begin," Ayako said. She stretched her hand and a long staff materialized. With a small wave of the staff, a large banquet appeared on the table.  
  
It was a delicious feast served on finely crafted plates of gold and silver. While similarly crafted goblets filled with the finest of wines appeared right beside the plates. When these appeared, the staff disappeared from the high queen's hand.  
  
"Now Sakuragi," said Ayako after she drank from her goblet. "I will introduce you to the rest of my family. You friends have all been properly introduced to them a while ago." She shifted her gaze to the fine looking youth who was seated right beside Sakuragi and said, "Kenji, you go first. The others will follow."  
  
The said youth wiped his mouth with a napkin and turned to the still eating redhead. "My name is Fujima Kenji. I am the ruler of the country of Greendale. Similar to the high queen, I am a faerie of the angel level and my favorite weapon is the long bow. I am the only son of the late Princess Katia. I am a nature lover and I love to spend time with my people out in the fields and work with them."  
  
He resumed eating and Ayako turned expectant eyes to Mitsui who was seated between Miyagi and Kogure. "Hisashi?"  
  
Mitsui stopped eating and began, "You already know me, but for formalities' sake, I am Mitsui Hisashi, eldest son among the three children of the late Princess Eira. I am the ruler of the country of Isendre. I am a faerie of the Water level and my weapon of choice is the crossbow."  
  
Ayako shifted her gaze to the man, with standing hair, sitting beside Fujima. "Akira?"  
  
They waited for a few more seconds before the prince could reply because he was still trying to swallow his food. "I am Sendoh Akira, second among the late Princess Eira's children. I am the ruler of the country of Sarafel. Like my brother, I am a faerie of the Water level and my weapon of choice is the whip. I love swimming and fishing just for fun." He flashed Sakuragi a grin which sent shivers down the poor boy's spine.  
  
Luckilly, the shorter man beside the prince nudged him in the ribs and the prince managed an "Oh don't be so jealous Hiroaki" before he proceeded to gobble down his food again.  
  
Ayako heaved a deep sigh and shook her head. "Go on Hiroaki."  
  
The man beside Sendoh looked at him and flashed him a friendly smile. "My name is Koshino Hiroaki. I am a citizen of Agua Vendita - the capital of Sarafel. I am a faerie of the Water level and my weapon of choice is the saber. Akira and I are scheduled to be engaged on this year's Lunamir Day."  
  
"Lunamir day?"  
  
"It's approximately 6 months from today if we follow the calendar from your world Sakuragi," Ayako answered. "Haruko?"  
  
"I am Haruko, youngest daughter of Princess Eira and the ruler of the country of Markiel."  
  
It was too short an introduction and Sakuragi wanted to ask more. But before he could even open his mouth, he heard Ayako's voice in his head, 'Don't bother to ask about other details Sakuragi, she's too shy to tell.'  
  
So he shut himself up.  
  
"Rukawa?"  
  
The pale and lithe man sitting beside Haruko looked at the redhead with a leveled gaze and said, "I am Rukawa Kaede. And my weapon of choice is the ice sword." Rukawa didn't seem like a man of many words so Sakuragi thought better than to press on.  
  
"Ayako?"  
  
"Yes Sakuragi?"  
  
"I was wondering about..."  
  
"Oh yes!" the queen exclaimed. "I forgot to tell you about this. We faeries are classified into different levels, and these levels of power are clearly seen through our wings. The highest classification is the Fire level, followed by the Angel, Water and Demon. There are two unclassified power levels. These are Black and Polka dot, they are unclassified because barely anyone has these levels. It is said that a faerie of the Black level is as powerful as a faerie with Fire level and Water level combined. The polka dot is presumably weaker than the Demon level. As I said, our wings clearly show these levels. If a faerie is of the Angel level, he exhibits Angel wings, although the colors of the wings may vary depending on each individual; and this applies to the Water, Fire and Demon levels as well. The only exceptions to this are the Polka dot and the Black levels because they only exhibit one color. Do you understand?"  
  
Sakuragi nodded dumbly as his brain tried to register this new information.  
  
"Good," said the queen. "With that done, we can discuss about more important matters."  
  
"Like, where should they stay," continued Fujima. "I doubt Ayako will be able to handle all four of them and their training with all the work she has here in Eilandar."  
  
"So do we split them up?" Sendoh asked.  
  
"Yes," replied Fujima. "But the question is, who takes who home?"  
  
"Miyagi and Kogure will be coming with me to Isendre's capital - Triendia," Mitsui volunteered at once.  
  
"Why two of them?"  
  
"Because Kenji, I know Akira wants to take one of those two home, but I doubt if he'll be able to take care of them. And I am also worried about Koshino's blood pressure."  
  
Koshino was fuming, observed Sakuragi, so much that if it weren't for Ayako's presence, he would have beaten the prince to a bloody pulp.  
  
Fujima seemed to consider this. "I guess you do have a point. How about Akagi?" "He stays here."  
  
"Ayako?"  
  
"Yes Kenji, I do deserve a companion here in this lonely place and Akagi here is perfect. We seem to be agreeing on almost everything we talk about."  
  
"Alright," said the prince. "And lastly..."  
  
"Sakuragi comes with us."  
  
Everyone turned surprised faces to look at the speaker.  
  
"Rukawa?"  
  
"Yes Fujima," replied Rukawa as he turned to look at the prince. "He saved my fiancé's life, so both of us would like to show him our appreciation by letting him stay in Markiel's capital - Flores."  
  
"Alright," Fujima said. "It's settled then. Miyagi and Kogure will stay in Triendia with Hisashi, Akagi will stay here in Eilandar and Sakuragi will stay in Flores."  
  
Sakuragi thought for a while. He would be staying in Flores so that would mean that he would be able to see Princess Haruko everyday. He felt his lips curve into a smile at the thought. But it disappeared immediately when he saw that Rukawa's steady gaze was settled on him.  
  
'Sakuragi? It's me Fujima. What's wrong? Don't be so stiff. Don't tell me you're still nervous.'  
  
Sakuragi looked at the prince beside him and smiled. "I'm fine Fujima."  
  
'Alright. But remember that if you ever feel something, don't hesitate to tell us okay?'  
  
Sakuragi nodded.  
  
The banquet soon ended and they prepared to part ways.  
  
Ayako stood up and led everyone to the hangar outside the castle walls, where they were to depart.  
  
There were six ships docked in the hangar. Two of these were pure white with a few golden shades, one was blue, the other green, another brown and yet another one of rainbow colors.  
  
"Take care of them you guys," Ayako reminded them as they all entered their respective ships.  
  
"And don't cause any trouble!" Akagi added over the noise of the starting engines.  
  
Sakuragi barely heard Akagi's voice as he, along with Haruko and Rukawa entered their ship - the one with rainbow colors.  
  
TBC  
  
Author's notes: I finished chap 1 in one sitting. Yay! *throws confetti*. I hope the characters here aren't ooc. And I hope you enjoyed reading this ^^ 


	3. CHapter 2 A Bond of Friendship or is it?

Title:Faerie Confrontations  
  
Part: chapter2 Author: Nanako  
  
Genre: Fantasy, Alternate Universe, Romance  
  
Pairing: RuHana, HanaFuji(Hanagata),MakiFuji, SenKosh, MitMiyaKo, AkaAya  
  
Rating:PG  
  
E-mail:ishpoof@i-manila.com.ph  
  
Warning: the characters are sometimes ooc, and there is a lot of Haruko bashing in this fic Author's notes: the ship I am using here is a flying one, not the one used at sea  
  
Disclaimer: Salm Dunk is Takehito Inoue's and will never be mine (sob)  
  
Dedicated to Nagyra, who brought me back from writer's block land, Afuna, you know why already ^^, And to Yen, thanks for everything  
  
CHAPTER 2  
  
A Bond of Friendship...or is it?  
  
Sakuragi entered the ship after Haruko and Rukawa and was a bit surprised that the door behind him closed automatically. The ship itself was a magnificent one, in the interior. Although the color combination was quite awful, the designs were intricate and remarkable. And, to Sakuragi's eyes, it didn't seem like a ship at all. In fact it looked more like a small house.  
  
As soon as they had entered, Rukawa spent no time in leaving to God knows where, leaving Haruko and Sakuragi in the main room of the ship. Although Sakuragi didn't really appreciate the presence of the stoic boy who resembled a very pale fox, he also didn't like the fact that he wasn't there with them. So he had the courage to ask this from his fiancé, "Where's Rukawa?"  
  
"Kaede? I think he's in his room," replied Haruko sweetly. "Oh and that reminds me, the room there at the end of the corridor is yours. Kaede's is that one beside yours. The den is right beside the stairs. My room is upstairs and so is the kitchen. So if you need anything don't hesitate to ask. Please excuse me, I have a few matters to attend to." And with that Haruko went up the stairs to her room.  
  
"Oh well, might as well go to my room then," said the redhead to himself as he put his gym bag over his shoulder and walked through the long blue corridor. It seemed as though this was the only part of the ship that wasn't a combination of different shades of colors.  
  
He walked quickly, not even pausing to look at the different tapestries which lined the corridor. And when he reached his room, he opened it and entered quickly.  
  
The room was beautiful, more beautiful than Sakuragi ever thought it would be.  
  
Since his room was at the far side of the ship, he was able to see a splendid view from his room windows.  
  
It was a good thing he was not afraid of heights, because if he was he would have thrown up by now.  
  
The walls of the room were of a beautiful shade of mahogany and the drapes that curtained his windows as well as the carpet underneath his feet were of a dark crimson red. There was a large study table on his right, opposite the windows and the study table itself and the chair with it, was made from fine wood and gold, similar to the dining table back in Eilandar.  
  
He placed his bag on the floor right beside the chair, and went to examine the bed which was in the very center of the room. It was very similar to the beds he saw in fairy tale books, beds which were fit for a king. Fluffy white pillows and pure white linings were covered by thick covers and a thick blanket, all in crimson red too.  
  
He sat down on the bed and found out that it was very soft and comfortable. But before he could thoroughly enjoy the bed, he realized that there was another door in his room. So he stood up and cautiously opened it.  
  
It was a bathroom.  
  
And Sakuragi mentally slapped himself for feeling too cautious about it. There were cabinets that lined the room and in there was a huge mirror and a bathtub. The water in the bathtub didn't come from tap though. It was coming out of the mouth of a lion statue right beside it. 'Probably, this is another one of their spells,' Sakuragi thought.  
  
He approached the statue and touched the water. "It's too cold," he whispered. And to his great surprise, the water became warmer. His lips curved into a small smile. He was going to like it here.  
  
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
Sakuragi spent the rest of the day examining the ship and late in the afternoon, he found out that there was nothing else he could do or explore on the ship so he stayed in his room.  
  
The sunset he was seeing in his window was more beautiful than those he has seen before. Only because Faerie had two suns and its two moons were already beginning to rise in the darkening sky.  
  
But seeing a sunset before your very eyes was very different from seeing it behind a glass window. And since he was in so much need of fresh air, Sakuragi decided to go up to the topmost floor of the ship.  
  
The topmost floor was in open air and it was a full blossoming garden with numerous flowers and grass lining the soft soil that no part of the said floor was barren. Sakuragi went there and looked at the sunset again. He was right, it was much spectacular watching it from up here than down in his room.  
  
"You like it?"  
  
The surprised redhead turned to look at the owner of the voice and found Rukawa seated on the grass behind him.  
  
"When did you get here?" he asked the stoic boy.  
  
"I was here before you," was the reply.  
  
"Oh sorry," apologized the redhead. He looked back at the sunset and said, "It's beautiful isn't it? I haven't seen anything like this in my world. I mean, we only have one sun."  
  
"It is beautiful," agreed Rukawa. Then he stood up and dusted dirt from his black robe. "I will be the one teaching you about your powers when we reach Flores."  
  
Sakuragi appreciated the fox's presence, but having someone as silent and stoic as he was for a teacher?! He was about to say something to retaliate what the other said when Rukawa placed something in his hand and left before he could even open his mouth.  
  
"Darn," Sakuragi cursed himself for being so slow in retaliating and looked at what Rukawa had placed in his hand.  
  
It was a red rose.  
  
Sakuragi, not understanding what it meant, just smiled to himself as he entered the ship again.  
  
He went back to his room and placed the flower on top of the study table. He was about to lie down on the bed and try to think of reasons why Rukawa had given him that rose when the door to his room suddenly opened and in came a fine young lady dressed in a long flowery robe of pink.  
  
"Mr. Sakuragi," she said, with her head bowed low. "It is already time for dinner. Her majesty the Princess Haruko and Lord Rukawa are already waiting for you in the dining room upstairs."  
  
"Oh...okay. Thanks for telling me."  
  
With that the girl left the room. And, a few minutes later, the redhead went to get some food down his stomach.  
  
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
"My my, you have such a good appetite Hanamichi," commented the princess as she drank from her goblet. "Here have some more."  
  
"Thank you," said the redhead, but because he was talking with his mouth full, it barely sounded like saying thanks.  
  
Their dinner was simpler than the feast they had partaken in earlier in Eilandar. But it was delicious, nonetheless.  
  
It was already Sakuragi's fifth time to fill his place and the princess just looked at him, clearly amused.  
  
"I'm done."  
  
Rukawa stood up from the table without another word and left the dining room. Haruko just looked at his retreating back and sighed softly.  
  
"Is he always like this?"  
  
"Yes," Haruko replied. She shook her head and added, "But it's not that I mind. Kaede's just not the talkative type and he really barely shows his emotions. I'm quite used to it already."  
  
'But he wasn't that silent when we met earlier,' Sakuragi thought. 'And his eyes showed so much emotion when he was looking at that sunset. Why doesn't he look at his own fiancé with that same warmth?' He shook these thoughts from his head; it wasn't going to do him good, meddling into other people's love affairs, so he thought better than to voice out his thoughts.  
  
So he just said, "Oh I see."  
  
"Oh, and before I forget, Kaede's going to be your teacher when we reach the capital. He volunteered for the task himself, which he barely does. And I'm too busy with other stuff so I might not be able to accommodate your training."  
  
"Okay," replied the redhead as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. In direct contrast to the way he reacted a while ago, he didn't react at all to what the princess had said. In fact he no longer seemed to mind having the fox for a teacher; instead he was sort of...glad about it.  
  
He didn't know why, but for some particular reason, he knew the fox was not going to ignore him, in the same manner that he ignores his fiancé, during their "lessons". [pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
"Are you comfortable?"  
  
Kogure snapped out of his daydream and looked at Mitsui. While Miyagi was busy exploring the whole ship, the prince had invited Kogure for tea.  
  
"I'm very comfortable Mitsui," he said with a smile and took a sip from his tea. "And this tea is superb!"  
  
Mitsui's handsome face lit up as he smiled and sat down on the chair opposite Kogure. "I really appreciate it that you and your friend do not call me "majesty" or "your highness" or anything like that."  
  
"Yes, Ayako did tell us about not calling you as such. But why, may I ask, don't you royalties want us to call you formally?"  
  
"Because, we discourage our citizens to treat us like we were born special; because we would be more approachable for them if they treated us as their equals. But since we were born within the royal family, formalities could never be avoided. And, unlike our citizens, you guys will be staying in the palace. You people will be staying WITH us. And if you call us "majesty" all of the time, it will certainly drive us nuts."  
  
Kogure put his now empty teacup down and addressed the prince. "You must be really great monarchs and your people must love you all dearly."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"In our world the politicians or the heads of the countries are respected most of the time. But, in my point of view, most of them abuse that respect to do all sots of wicked things and often take advantage of the weak and the oppressed. They would only help those in need for popularity and political reasons."  
  
Mitsui looked at Kogure as if he just saw him for the first time. "Is that true?"  
  
"Why would I lie to you?"  
  
"But how...? How could they...?"  
  
Kogure put his hand on Mitsui's shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it so much. Some of them are good leaders and often punish those who aren't doing their jobs well. And it's not something you should worry about right?"  
  
"But how could they take advantage of their own people?"  
  
Kogure shook his head, amused at the innocence of the prince about the political issues people back in their world would usually find normal in their everyday lives. "There are some evil people in my world Mitsui. But those who are good make sure that they get punished. You guys here clearly take good care of your people and they seem to really love you if, even though you tell them to stop, they still respect you with all their heart."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really," Kogure assured the prince. "Now, why don't we look for Ryota and tell him to treat you with a little less respect?'  
  
[pic]===================[pic]===================[pic]  
  
"Ruka..."  
  
Before Sakuragi could even call him by his name completely, Rukawa had stepped out of the den immediately, using the other door in the opposite side of the room.  
  
Sakuragi hung his head and returned to his room, no longer bothering to go after the stoic boy.  
  
Ever since dinner the other night, Rukawa had been avoiding Sakuragi like a plague and the redhead was hurt, though he did not show it. He thought the stoic boy had wanted to be his friend, but now he was having second thoughts.  
  
He had been informed by the princess that they would be arriving in the capital soon and that the only reason why their trip was this long was because she was air sick and the slaves had to lessen the speed of the vessel or else she would be too sick to continue on this journey.  
  
A knock on the door.  
  
Sakuragi looked up and saw Rukawa standing there, right hand on his hip and his left on the doorframe. The fabric of his robe stretched because of his position and it seemed to tighten in all the right places, making the pale boy extremely sexy... at least in the point of view of one blushing redhead.  
  
The breathtaking scene before him made the redhead forget about the anger he was about to vent on the other boy for ignoring him. "What are you doing here?" he asked, softly and in the most unSakuragi - like manner.  
  
"I wasn't ignoring you," said Rukawa, answering the unasked question. "I was busy yesterday and a while ago in the den, I had to see my fiancé off."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Princess Haruko just left. She won't be joining us to Flores. Upon entering the borders of the capital, she was sent for by her cousin - Prince Fujima. And I believe they have matters of state to discuss so I didn't join them."  
  
"Oh, I see," was all the redhead said. Haruko would not be joining them, why didn't he care at all? He had had a crush on the princess ever since he saw her, now why wasn't he even disappointed that she wouldn't be coming with them to the capital?  
  
"We'll be in the capital in a moment," said Rukawa, breaking into Sakuragi's thoughts. "Come with me."  
  
"But..."  
  
"The servants will take care of your belongings." Rukawa stretched out his right hand and repeated, "Come with me."  
  
Sakuragi, though unsure, stood up and took the other boy's hand. When skin and skin made contact, Sakuragi thought he saw the other boy's lips curve into a small smile, but it vanished almost immediately so he thought otherwise.  
  
Rukawa's hands were very warm to the touch and felt like velvet and silk mended together; in complete contrast to the rough and cold hands Sakuragi had imagined the stoic boy would possess.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
He had to ask, but the answer was quite obvious - Rukawa's room.  
  
It was a room identical to the redhead's except for the other things which were put on Rukawa's desk.  
  
"Why did you bring me here?"  
  
"Because," said Rukawa as he turned to look at the redhead, "I want to show you something. Come sit down."  
  
Sakuragi, like a good boy, sat down on Rukawa's bed and the latter sat down beside Sakuragi.  
  
"Do you love flowers Sakuragi?"  
  
"Yes, my mother used to love them, and so do I. Why?"  
  
"What flowers do you love the most?"  
  
Sakuraagi had no idea where this questioning was going to lead to, but he answered nonetheless. "Sakuras - cherry blossoms, just like my name."  
  
This time Sakuragi was sure that Rukawa smiled, and his breath got caught up in his throat that he was close to choking.  
  
Rukwas didn't seem to mind this though. He turned to Sakuragi and held his hands in both of his. "Close your eyes and trust me."  
  
"I don't think I have any other choice now, do I?"  
  
"You could decline, if you're scared."  
  
"I'm not scared," replied the redhead immediately. He was a man of pride and would never admit that he was afraid of anything or anyone.  
  
"Then close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you to."  
  
Sakuragi complied. And, upon closing his eyes, Sakuragi felt warmth emanating from the other boy's hands. It was similar to the warmth he felt when Mitsui had used the transportation spell.  
  
But, while Mitsui's spell had lasted only about a couple of seconds, Rukawa's was already taking up about thirty seconds and still continuing. Sakuragi's patience, which wasn't long enough to begin with, was already wearing thin.  
  
"Open your eyes now."  
  
As Rukawa said those words, the warmth Sakuragi had been feeling disappeared. He opened his eyes and his jaw immediately attached itself to the floor. "What...Where...?"  
  
"This is your room," said Rukawa indicating the room they were in.  
  
Sakuragi's awe - struck eyes scanned the room and realized that the contour or the interior of the room was very similar to his room in the ship of Princess Haruko. The only difference was that there were small, pink cherry blossoms falling from the ceiling. It was like indoor winter, but instead of snow, he had little flowers.  
  
Flowers falling would undoubtedly cause a huge mess on the carpeted floor. So Sakuragi looked at the floor, expecting to see the huge mass of compiled flowers...and realized that as soon as the flowers came into contact with the floor, they disappeared.  
  
He peeled his eyes from the floor and looked at the person who, most probably, had made all these things possible.  
  
"Do you like it?" Rukawa asked.  
  
"Like it? I love it!" Sakuragi exclaimed, bringing another smile on Rukawa's face. "You created all this in a matter of seconds?"  
  
"One minute actually," Rukawa stated matter - of - factly. "If you would like to know, we aren't in Flores. We are in Granfel, the other city of Markiel. And this place is my villa, the place where I stay whenever Haruko's away, in order to get away from the hustle and bustle of the capital."  
  
"You were able to teleport the both of us to another city and cast the spell on this room in a minute?!"  
  
Rukawa nodded, "I may not look like it, but I am not as weak as you might think."  
  
Sakuragi didn't want to admit it, although he barely knew anything about magic, it wouldn't be any easy task to do what Rukawa did in such a short time span.  
  
"Sakuragi."  
  
The redhead looked at Rukawa and was surprised to see that the latter was having difficulty voicing out his question.  
  
"Um...Can I ... call you by your first name?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Because, since I will be your teacher, it wouldn't seem appropriate for me to still call you by your last name."  
  
It made sense.  
  
"Okay," Sakuragi replied. "But you'll have to allow me to call you Kaede."  
  
"Sure. Come, let us go back to the capital," Rukawa said, offering his hand to Sakuragi again. "The ship must have arrived by now."  
  
"But I thought you wanted to stay here in this place?"  
  
"Of course I do, but you have to stay in the capital."  
  
"But I'd rather stay here."  
  
The words were out of Sakuragi's mouth before he could even think of what he wanted to say. What was he thinking? Why choose to stay with this...guy, if he could stay in the palace? Rukawa might not even want him staying in his personal villa for a long time. He looked at Rukawa and hoped that he would just forget what he had said a few seconds ago.  
  
"We have to go to Flores..."  
  
'I knew it,' Sakuragi thought. 'He won't want me here. What was I thinking?'  
  
"...to get your things," Rukawa added with a smile.  
  
Sakuragi's eyes widened as his sullen expression disappeared. "You'll let me stay here?"  
  
"Of course. What reason do I have to not let you stay here?" Rukawa once again offered his hand to Sakuragi. "You ready to go?"  
  
And this time, the redhead willingly and happily accepted it. "Yes, I am."  
  
Tbc  
  
Author's note: Sorry guys, I know this chappy has been long overdue. Sorry for the delay. And I know that both Ru and Hana are tremendously ooc here. Couldn't help but make them as such. 


	4. Chapter 3 Relationships

Title:Faerie Confrontations  
  
Part: chapter3  
  
Author: Nanako  
  
Genre: Fantasy, Alternate Universe, Romance  
  
Pairing: RuHana, HanaFuji(Hanagata),MakiFuji, SenKosh, MitMiyaKo, AkaAya  
  
Rating:PG  
  
E-mail:ishpoof@i-manila.com.ph  
  
Warning: the characters are sometimes ooc, and there is a lot of Haruko bashing in this fic  
  
Disclaimer: Slam Dunk is Takehito Inoue's and will never be mine (sob)  
  
Dedicated to Nagyra, who brought me back from writer's block land, Afuna, you know why already ^^, And to Yen, thanks for everything  
  
CHAPTER 3  
  
Relationships  
  
"Majesty?"  
  
Fujima entered the dining hall casually and waved a dismissive hand at the servants who were bowing before him. "I will eat my breakfast later, I would like to go around the city for a while," he informed them.  
  
"And what would his majesty like for breakfast today?'  
  
"I'll have anything. As for my cousin, ask her what she wants after she gets up from her beauty sleep." When the servants didn't seem to have anything else to say, the prince bade them goodbye and walked out of the room.  
  
It has been a week since he had summoned Haruko to come over to discuss some things about the trading system between his country and hers. And, after a whole week of discussing and debating with her, Fujima felt very tired.  
  
It was still early in the morning and, hardworking as they are, most of the citizens of Greendale's capital - Katia's Haven were still asleep.  
  
The prince Fujima himself had named the city after his late mother - Princess Katia - who loved the fields as much as her son did.  
  
Both of Faerie's suns had not yet risen and would not for another half hour, the prince realized as he walked along the palace gardens on his way to the palace gates.  
  
The garden was a smaller version of the largest, most extravagant palace garden Haruko's servants maintained back in Flores. And, while it was Haruko's servants who maintained her garden, Fujima personally took care of this garden, which his mother left him. And would not forgive anyone who has any intention of destroying the garden he and his mother love dearly.  
  
A few meters away from the gates, the palace guards assigned to guard the door spotted and bowed before him.  
  
He again waved a dismissive hand and the guards made way for him to pass.  
  
As soon as he was out of the palace gates, the prince stood still for a moment. When was the last time he had gone out of the palace? When was the last time he spent time with his people out in the field?  
  
He could no longer remember.  
  
He had been so busy with matters of state that he nearly forgot about his people. It was about time he visited them again.  
  
He closed his eyes and focused his energy, and soon green angel wings sprouted from his back. His majestic wings enveloped him and, after a while, Fujima, as well as his wings, disappeared.  
  
Fujima reappeared kilometers away from the palace a few seconds later. He took a deep breath and reveled at the breathtaking scene of the fertile fields before him.  
  
Although the people of Greendale, especially in the capital, Katia's Haven, are the most hardworking faeries in the whole of Faerie, nobody would be up at such an unholy hour. So, as much as Fujima would've loved to spend a few minutes of his time to be with his people and work with them, he couldn't, for now.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Maki groggily opened his eyes and groaned when he realized that the two suns had not risen yet.  
  
He sat up on his bed and stretched his limbs. His loyal pet, Ebony, then came barging into his bedroom, again, pleased at having awakened his master effectively. Ebony was a tryst, an animal which resembles a wolf in all aspects.  
  
He patted Ebony's head and asked, "Do you know that you always wake me up before the suns rise?"  
  
Ebony just wagged his tail in response.  
  
Maki sighed and said, "Oh well, it won't hurt to check up on the crops this early in the morning, since there is no use going back to sleep again."  
  
With those words said, the well - tanned, very masculine, and utterly good looking ...faerie / farmer, got up from bed.  
  
After eating a simple breakfast, bathing, and all the other "morning stuff", Maki put on a plain brown robe and, along with Ebony, went out of his house.  
  
As soon as Maki left his house, he spotted a man looking over the fields, HIS field. Although it was still very dark, he could not mistake the silhouette of another person.  
  
Ebony, too, spotted the man and was about to approach the stranger when Maki placed his hand on the animal's head.  
  
The tryst looked up at his master questioningly.  
  
"Don't Ebony," Maki whispered. "We don't know who he is. I know he's trespassing into our field but we can't really be sure if he has cruel intentions right? He may just be lost."  
  
After telling his pet to stay where he was, Maki approached the stranger with long calculated steps.  
  
His steps were silent, so silent that you could easily mistake him for an assassin rather than a farmer. And he moved with finesse that he can be easily be mistaken for a nobleman instead of a farmer.  
  
The unsuspecting stranger didn't even notice the farmer as he approached him. For the stranger was too busy looking at the filed, enthralled at the beauty of everything there was in the simple field owned by Maki.  
  
But when Maki was but a few more steps away from the unknowing stranger, a faint sound reached his ears. It was the mild rustling of leaves to the untrained ear, but Maki knew precisely what it was even with his eyes closed.  
  
It was a winged creature that goes by the name of amond. These were dark and vile creatures. Creatures which would go after unsuspecting villagers and devour them, especially during the night.  
  
"Damn it," Maki cursed under his breath as he hid behind a bush and watched as the winged creature rose from the trees a few meters away from him.  
  
He was careful not to move and was relieved that the creature steered away from the place where he was hiding. But his relief was short lived, as a new terror gripped is heart when he realized that the creature was really targeting the youth who had strayed into his field.  
  
He didn't know if the stranger was capable of defending himself against the creature, and because amonds are very good in cloaking their own energy, even very powerful faeries have a very hard time sensing their presence.  
  
So, without thinking twice, Maki leaped out from his hiding place, screaming "Get down!" as he pushed the youth to the ground. When they were down, his violet wings of the water level automatically unfurled from his back as he fired an energy ball from his outstretched right hand.  
  
The creature was quick, but the farmer's energy ball was faster. The accurately fired shot singed one of its wings. Screeching in pain, the creature flew away in an awkward pattern and disappeared into the distant woods at the far edge of the village.  
  
Maki sighed in relief as the creature disappeared. "We were very lucky, that was just a fledgling. I..."  
  
Maki's words caught in his throat as his eyes finally looked down at the youthful face of the man he was pinning under him.  
  
And the twin suns of Faerie chose this exact time to rise, illuminating both men's features for the other to see clearly.  
  
Wide azure depths drowned him and the farmer could not help but blush at the intense gaze the equally blushing brunette he was pinning on the floor, was giving him.  
  
"Um." the brunette started, also seeming to have difficulty in talking. His blush deepened but he managed to choke out, "Could you please get off of me?"  
  
Maki was brought back to his senses and immediately stood up, away from the youth, yet, still enthralled by the equally beautiful and handsome face. And, as he looked back at the handsome stranger, his tanned cheeks darkened with a light blush.  
  
The youth fixed his dirtied green robe and shifted nervously under Maki's intense gaze. "Um...thanks for saving me. I was so dazzled by the beauty of this field that I was unable to sense that creature's approach."  
  
"It was nothing," replied Maki, now looking down to hide the evident blush on his cheeks. Then, remembering what his initial intention had been for approaching the stranger in the first place, Maki asked, "May I know who you are? And what you are doing in my field?"  
  
"Oh!" the stranger exclaimed. "I am sorry sir, but I seem to have forgotten my manners. I am very sorry for entering your field without due permission. I just wanted to get some time off the palace grounds. I has been a while since I have visited the fields. And, my name is 0Kenji. Fujima Kenji."  
  
It didn't take long for Maki's brain to process this new information. He fell upon his knees immediately and said, "Oh your majesty! I am so sorry for the way I had acted earlier! I seemed to treat you as my equal when you are far greater than I am! Oh please forgive me, my lord!"  
  
When the farmer had fallen to his knees, Fujima immediately rushed to his side and tried to help him up.  
  
But the farmer stubbornly refused. "Nay my lord," he said. "A simple farmer like I, have not the right to stand in your presence like some nobleman. I am not suited to even stay in the same place as you my lord."  
  
"Oh for heaven's sake!" the prince exclaimed as he finally used force to pull the farmer to his feet. "Will you look at me?!"  
  
Taking in the annoyed tone of the prince, Maki obeyed. The deep blue eyes of the prince were filled with wonder, surprise, question and hurt when Maki met his eyes.  
  
Fujima looked back at the farmer and asked in a soft, almost unsure tone, "Are you that scared of me? Of us? Of any monarch?"  
  
"Nay sire," Maki replied, trying to look away again, but was in vain as the prince's eyes seemed to take a firm grip on him. "I just pay my due respects. A commoner like me is in no position to talk with his majesty in this manner. It is a must that I, at least, kneel."  
  
"Whoever decreed that?" Fujima asked, exasperated.  
  
"A decree need not be issued sire. It is common practice."  
  
"And it is also common practice that a faerie repay the person who has saved his life, or at least save him from any injury."  
  
Before Maki could even utter another word, Fujima placed a finger on his lips to silence him. He smiled up at the farmer and said, "Come with me to the palace. It is the least I can do to repay you."  
  
"But...!"  
  
"No buts," corrected the prince softly. "Now what is your name?"  
  
"Maki, sire. Maki Shinichi."  
  
"Maki Shinichi ... it has a nice sound to it," said the prince. "Would it be alright if I called you Shinichi?"  
  
"Oh it would be an honor sire!" exclaimed the farmer.  
  
"AND you have to stop calling me that. From now on, it's Kenji. If you don't call me that I might have to punish you."  
  
Maki swallowed hard. He knew he had to pay the prince his respects. He was, after all, a mere commoner. But he didn't think the prince was joking when he threatened to punish him if he didn't stop calling him formally.  
  
"But si...Kenji what about my field? Who will take care of my crops? And what about Ebony?"  
  
"Ebony?"  
  
As if on cue, the black tryst came forward and like a good puppy, sat down in from of the prince.  
  
"Oh a tryst!" the prince exclaimed. "Is this Ebony?"  
  
Maki nodded.  
  
"He stays with us in the palace," the prince said immediately. "As for the field, we'll come here everyday to take care of it." He looked at Maki with a big smile on his face, "It has been such a long time since I have had the opportunity to take care of a field aside from the garden I keep in the palace. Do not worry, I won't burden you. I do know how to toil in a field."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Sakuragi woke up early the next morning, and it was very rare for him to do so. Back home he won't wake until Akagi punches the living daylights out of him, but now, he finds himself awake even before the twin suns came up.  
  
The little sakura blossoms were a welcome sight to his still groggy eyes and Sakuragi loved the fragrance they brought with them.  
  
"You're up early."  
  
Sakuragi looked at the source of the voice and found Rukawa sitting on a chair beside his bed. The said boy was wearing a navy blue cloak and was wearing a pair of reading glasses.  
  
He was reading a book when Sakuragi woke up. And as soon as the redhead woke up, he closed it and set it down on the table beside Sakuragi's bed.  
  
"Speak for yourself Kaede."  
  
Rukawa raised a brow and removed his glasses. He folded them and they disappeared. "I'm always up early. Anyway, have you practiced what I taught you last night?"  
  
"Of course I did," said the redhead.  
  
"Prove it."  
  
Sakuragi looked at the normally silent boy and asked, "Don't you trust me?"  
  
Rukawa sat back on the chair, folded his arms across his chest and crossed his legs. "I trust you, but I do believe that you, a certified genius, won't be troubled by such a "simple" task?"  
  
"Hmph! A genius is never afraid of any task!"  
  
"Do it then."  
  
Sakuragi closed his eyes and tried to remember what the other boy taught him last night. He closed his mind to any exterior sound or movement and looked for Rukawa's presence through his mind. ^Is this enough?^  
  
^Enough, yes. But you still need practice. You can't close your eyes every time you need to communicate with my mind. But this will do... for now.^  
  
Sakuragi opened his eyes and met the blue eyes if his teacher and friend. It was only in the most seldom of moments that Rukawa would praise him. And every time he did, Sakuragi felt his heart swell and a strange feeling of happiness engulf him.  
  
But...  
  
"Why are you really here Kaede? I know you won't waste time here to see if I've mastered what you taught me 1st thing in the morning when you could do so later in the day."  
  
"There is no hiding from you is there?" Rukawa asked, a small smile gracing his lips. "Haruko's coming back from Greendale today. And I estimate she will be in Flores by tomorrow afternoon. And because of that, we must return to the capital before she arrives. I do not want to explain to her why we were staying in my villa when we should have stayed at her palace."  
  
"But you can teleport us there without any hassle any time right?"  
  
"Yes, I can."  
  
"Then there is no problem, is there Kaede?"  
  
Rukawa shook his head and stood up. "None at all. Go take your bath and get dressed. I'll be waiting for you in the dining hall. Also, I have a surprise for you."  
  
Sakuragi's eyes brightened and his whole face lit up. "Really?"  
  
"Yes. But it will have to wait until after breakfast."  
  
And before the redhead could even ask another question, Rukawa disappeared.  
  
"Kaede? Kaede! Damn that fox!" Sakuragi cursed loudly. He closed his eyes again and did what he did earlier. ^Damned fox!^  
  
^Curse me later Hanamichi. You won't be able to know what your surprise is until after breakfast.^  
  
Then, Rukawa's presence was gone.  
  
Sakuragi knew that cursing the other would not help, especially if the said person could not even hear him. He'd rather curse him later. Besides, he was already anxious to get out of bed, get into his bath and change into some new clothes, not to mention get some breakfast.  
  
He stood up from the bed and went to his bathroom.  
  
'This surprise better be good Kaede,' he thought, with a small smile on his face.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
When Sakuragi finished, he proceeded to the villa's dining room and found Rukawa already there, waiting for him.  
  
"You'll get the surprise AFTER you finish breakfast," Rukawa said to him before the redhead could even say a word. "I already finished my breakfast a short time ago."  
  
Sakuragi sighed. When Rukawa didn't want to talk, he really will not talk. And even Sakurgai could not badger him enough to get even the tiniest leak. Badgering Rukawa when he does not want to talk was utterly futile, and this theory, Sakuragi had himself tried, tested and proven.  
  
So he sat at his usual seat, right in front of Rukawa and looked on as his meal magically appeared on his part of the table.  
  
Rukawa's villa didn't house any servants and is run totally by magic, as Rukawa had already explained to the redhead a few days back. This made the villa different from the others. Because all the other palaces of the monarchs, were filled with servants, who seldom use magic to run it, and the monarchs themselves barely used magic to add their own little touches to their palaces.  
  
Sakuragi, even though he knew only little about magic except what Rukawa taught him, could not even begin to imagine how much magical power Rukawa had to use just to keep this place up and running.  
  
As soon as all his food and utensils had appeared, Sakuragi wasted no time in gobbling it all up. The less time he wasted eating whatever food Rukawa gave him, the faster he'll be able to know what surprise the other boy had for him.  
  
Rukawa looked on as the redhead quickly finished up his food like a famished man, his amusement barely hidden from his face.  
  
"Are you that excited?"  
  
The redhead ignored him. At the moment, Sakuragi's only interest seemed to be finishing up all his food.  
  
Rukawa shook his head and simply waited for the redhead to finish. It was not a long wait, though.  
  
"I'm done," Sakuragi declared, setting his utensils down.  
  
"I can see that," replied Rukawa, waving his hand to make the utensils disappear. "I've never seen anyone devour his breakfast that fast, not even your usual self is any competition."  
  
"Of course," said Sakuragi. "I am very excited. And when I'm excited, I do things very quickly."  
  
"And here is the proof," said Rukawa. He stood up and sat down on the chair beside the redhead. "Close your eyes Hanamichi," he instructed.  
  
The redhead did as he was told. Once his eyes were closed, he felt Rukawa hold his hands in both of his. "Ka...Kaede?"  
  
"Shh...Don't worry. Just keep your eyes shut and don't open them until I tell you to," said Rukawa softly.  
  
The redhead silenced and waited. He felt the all too familiar warmth of Rukawa's wings surrounding him. Although he himself had never seen them before, he was very sure that the warmth he felt emanating from the other boy was from his source of power, his wings.  
  
A few seconds later, he heard Rukawa whisper, "You can open your eyes now."  
  
He did. "Where...are we?"  
  
Rukawa smiled and helped the seated redhead to his feet. "You like it?"  
  
"It's even better than my room Kaede!" the redhead exclaimed as he looked at his surroundings.  
  
Endless rows of Sakura trees surrounded the small clearing where both boys were standing in. It was a vast forest filled with trees that the redhead loved.  
  
"We are still in Granfel," said Rukawa calmly as he conjured two chairs, one for himself and the other one for the redhead. "But this is a place that only I know of, at least I think so." He sat down on one of the chairs and continued, "I don't know if the others who know of this place are still alive. There were wards protecting this place before I found it, very strong wards, as if someone wanted this place protected very badly..."  
  
He looked back at the redhead and frowned as he realized that the redhead had his back turned to him and was probably not listening to a word he was saying at all.  
  
"Hanamichi?"  
  
The redhead stopped looking at the forest and turned to face him. "Kaede, didn't you hear anything?"  
  
"I heard myself."  
  
"Not that!" The redhead took a deep breath to calm himself down and asked the other boy, "I meant, did you hear anything else aside from your own voice?"  
  
Rukawa shook his head, "No."  
  
"That's weird," muttered the redhead.  
  
"Did you hear anything?" asked Rukawa. "What did you hear?"  
  
Sakuragi scratched his head as he tried to look for the right words. "I didn't really HEAR anything. It was like hearing someone else's mind voice, but I don't know who it was."  
  
Rukawa considered what the redhead said. "What did it say?"  
  
"I can't really understand what it said..." Sakuragi replied, sheepishly. He expected Rukawa to make fun of him, that he was a self- proclaimed genius who could not even understand a simple message sent to his mind, and he was already ready to insult his companion if ever the snide remark came.  
  
But the remark never came.  
  
And Sakuragi was very much surprised when he saw the serious blue eyes of Rukawa locked on him. Rukawa always made fun of him ever since they stayed in his villa, but he would make up to the redhead immediately. This seriousness just wasn't like him.  
  
It reminded Sakuragi of the detached and cold hearted Rukawa, fiancé of Princess Haruko; who was the total opposite of Kaede, his teacher, mentor and very close friend.and.maybe something more...  
  
"Kaede, what's wrong?"  
  
Rukawa approached him and placed his right hand on the redhead's forehead. Sakuragi didn't flinch and stayed as he was. But he found his voice to ask, "What are you doing Kaede?"  
  
"Close your eyes Hanamichi," he instructed softly. "This won't take long."  
  
He had stayed by Rukawa's side long enough to trust the faerie with his life. This time was no different.  
  
As soon as he had his eyes closed, he felt the familiar warmth again. But this time, he felt it delve deep into his thoughts. Rukawa was reading his memories like an open book.  
  
But as quickly as the faerie entered, he exited.  
  
"K...Kaede?"  
  
"You can open your eyes now Hanamichi, I'm done."  
  
He opened his eyes, "That was fast."  
  
"Because the memory was recent," explained Rukawa. "The more recent the memory, the easier it is to SEE."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Come with me," Rukawa instructed to the redhead as he made the chairs disappear with a simple wave of his hand.  
  
"You understood it?!"  
  
"A little bit. Come on, hurry," Rukawa said, disappearing into the forest.  
  
Sakuragi was about to demand that Rukawa tell him what the fuzzy message meant, but thought otherwise as he saw the other boy disappear into the forest. There was no way he would allow himself to get lost.  
  
"Kaede, wait!"  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
It didn't take a while for Sakuragi to catch up with Rukawa. He wanted to know what the message meant, but with the look on Rukawa's face, he was sure that the other boy had no intention of talking at the moment. So Sakuragi decided to walk with him, quietly.  
  
After walking for a little while, Rukawa finally stopped in front of two Sakura trees.  
  
"We're here. Stand back Hanamichi."  
  
"Why...what?"  
  
"Just stay back, you'll see."  
  
Sakuragi followed his instructions. And as soon as the redhead was a few steps behind him, Rukawa knelt down on the floor on one knee. He placed his right hand on the ground, palm down. He muttered something so softly that Sakuragi could not make out what he was saying.  
  
Nothing happened at first. But soon, a golden glow was emanating from the place where Rukawa was touching the ground. Then the golden shimmer spread out on the ground to form a big circle around Rukawa.  
  
With this done, Rukawa stood up and turned to the redhead. "Come here Hanamichi."  
  
Sakuragi slowly stepped into the circle and the golden shimmer brightened. "What's going on Kaede?" he asked, as he cautiously went closer to Rukawa.  
  
"Don't worry about it Hanamichi," assured Rukawa, as the redhead reached him.  
  
Though unsure of what was happening, Sakuragi made his way to the faerie until he made his way to the very center of the golden circle.  
  
When Sakuragi reached the center, Rukawa positioned himself behind the redhead. He then put his arms around Sakuragi and held both of the redhead's hands.  
  
"K...Kaede?!" stammered Sakuragi, blushing. Rukawa had been holding his hands most of the time during his training. But with this position, Sakuragi had his back pressed against Rukawa. And THIS, he was not used to.  
  
"Shh.relax Hanamichi," he whispered, with his forehead pressed against the redhead's back. "Your body's too tense."  
  
"That's because you're so close," the redhead muttered under his breath. It wasn't supposed to reach Rukawa's ears, but due to their close proximity, there was no chance it would go unnoticed by the faerie's keen ears.  
  
Rukawa smiled and asked in a low, almost seductive way, "And why would you be tensed when I'm close to you?"  
  
He felt the redhead tense more in his arms. "Didn't expect me to hear that, did you?" he asked the furiously blushing redhead. He KNEW the redhead was blushing furiously, without even looking at his face. When the redhead did not say anything, he continued, softly, "Don't worry, I like you too. Now can you please relax so that we can get this over with?"  
  
Sakuragi's body tensed even more at what he said, but he gradually relaxed as he digested the information.  
  
When Rukawa felt that Sakuragi was already relaxed, he made his hold on the redhead's hands firmer. Not sensing any sort of negative reaction from the readhead, he continued.  
  
Since Rukawa did not give him any instruction to close his eyes, Sakuragi decided to keep them open. And when he felt Rukawa tighten his hold on his hands, he felt the familiar warmth enter his body, gently molding into his very being.  
  
Rukawa then guided his right hand to point directly at the small space between the two trees. And from his hand, a golden light appeared. The golden light flickered for a moment but stayed glowing. Then the light slowly extended towards the space where Sakuragi's hand was pointing at the moment.  
  
The golden light seemed to take forever to hit the space between the trees. But when it did, the whole scenery around both of them disappeared, and was replaced by what seemed to be a cave of some sort.  
  
Rukawa loosened his hold on the redhead's hands. And almost instanly, Sakuragi's legs gave way beneath him and he nearly crashed to the ground. But Rukawa was immediately beside him, and was able to stop his faint body from falling.  
  
"Kaede?" he asked weakly as Rukawa cradled his limp body. Rukawa settled both of them on the ground. "What happened?"  
  
"Shh..." said Rukawa, placing his right index finger on the redhead's mouth. "Don't talk yet." He took a deep breath and continued, "Whoever cast the spell to protect and ward this cave was very powerful. Even I was unable to sense it, although I've been here countless times before. But, the mind voice you heard earlier, that was the cave, or something else inside it, calling out to you. You could not understand it since the message you heard was the specific coordinates for this cave. But, powerful as I am, I was unable to destroy or even weaken the ward. So I thought, that you might be able to destroy it."  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"Since you were able to hear the message that I was unable to hear," replied the faerie. "I thought that whatever it was that spoke to you, it needed you here. And that the key to destroying the ward would be you."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Since your powers aren't fully developed yet, you have a lot of untapped potential. I merely searched for the "power" you possessed that clearly responded to the wards protecting this place."  
  
"So we did it?"  
  
"We are inside the cave now, aren't we?" asked Rukawa, gently brushing off a few loose strands of Sakuragi's hair from the redhead's face. "But I did not expect you to loose such a huge amount of energy. I was supposed to lend you a hand, but the wards just won't react to any of my magic. It would only accept yours. I'm sorry that you were nearly drained..."  
  
"It's okay Kaede," said the redhead, smiling up at Rukawa. "I quote, "Whenever a faerie gets drained of his magical power, it will still come back immediately, automatically "recharging" the drained faerie. Although some people naturally recharge faster than others, there has been no record of any faerie suffering from power drainage for more than a week." You taught me that a few days ago right?"  
  
Rukawa allowed himself a little laugh at the words of the redhead. "You do learn quickly," he said softly.  
  
"Iie Kaede," said the redhead, shaking his head. "It's only because you're a very good teacher." Then, his smile slowly disappeared as his face took on a serious expression. "Ne Kaede, about what you said earlier..."  
  
Rukawa face registered surprised at the sudden change of subject but he easily recovered and smiled at the redhead. "I meant every word I said, but if you don't accept me..." He gently caressed Sakuragi's cheek and continued softly, "I will learn to accept your judgment and live with it."  
  
Sakuragi reached up and held the hand which was caressing his face. "And what made you think that I will reject the love you are willing to give me?"  
  
Rukawa's eyes widened at the redhead's words. "You...You're..."  
  
Sakuragi cocked his head to one side and asked, "Is my acceptance that surprising?"  
  
Rukawa recovered from his initial shock and shook his head as if to clear it. But instead of answering the redhead, he just leaned down and his lips descended upon the redhead's.  
  
Sakuragi accepted the raven-haired faerie's kiss, his hands finding their way to Rukawa's back and ran through the faerie's silky black hair.  
  
But just as Rukawa started deepening their kiss, Sakuragi pulled away.  
  
No words were spoken, but the question Rukawa held in his eyes as he looked at Sakuragi was already enough. Sakuragi ran his hand through his hair and replied, "I hate to stop Kaede, but that...that voice...it's calling out to me again."  
  
The questioning look immediately vanished from the faerie's eyes and Rukawa once again had this keen and serious expression on his face. "What's it telling you?"  
  
Sakuragi closed his eyes and his brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to make out what the mysterious mind voice was saying to him. "It's telling me something about...about... a sword," said Sakuragi as he opened his eyes. "That it's hidden somewhere here in this area."  
  
"Can you tell where it is?" Rukawa asked carefully.  
  
Sakuragi nodded slowly. "Somehow I can understand what the voice is saying unlike the one I heard when we were still outside." He began to stand up and said, "Come on Kaede, let's go look for this thing. I can do with one less mysterious voice in my head."  
  
"Are you sure you're okay already?" asked the worried faerie. "You shouldn't move so much if you haven't recovered yet."  
  
"I'm fine Kaede," assured the redhead. "Come on, let's go and get this over with."  
  
Rukawa, unable to dissuade the other from resting until he was fully recovered, had no choice but to tag along. Sakuragi led him through the maze-like cave for a whole half-hour. And just as he was starting to doubt that the redhead actually understood the voice and that they were already lost within the cave, Sakuragi stopped in front of a big stone slab.  
  
The redhead placed his palm on it and tried focusing his energy to it. It was way harder without Rukawa helping him channel his energy. And, whatever he did, the slab didn't budge an inch.  
  
He turned to Rukawa and asked, "Can you get rid of this?"  
  
Rukawa shrugged. "I guess I can." He put his right hand on the stone slab and immediately, the stone slab rolled to its right, revealing a small room.  
  
"This is becoming weird," Sakuragi muttered as the two of them entered the room. "First the outside ward only responds to my power, now this ward only responds to yours."  
  
"There is probably a reason for this," replied Rukawa mysteriously, as he and Sakuragi made their way inside. The little room was like a small temple. There were red draperies all around the room, amidst fiery flames that engulfed the walls of the room. But neither the wall nor the draperies got singed. The mysterious flames were all probably kept here by magic.  
  
"Kaede...that's..."  
  
Rukawa looked at the direction where Sakuragi was pointing and his eyes widened. At the other end of the room, there was a sword, enthroned within fiery flames upon an altar. He turned to Sakuragi and whispered, "Go on, take it."  
  
Sakuragi nodded and went to the altar.  
  
He tried to get the sword while avoiding the fire, but found out that he couldn't. So he looked at Rukawa, who had stayed behind near the entrance shook his head. "Kaede, there's no way I'll be able to get it."  
  
"Yes you can Hanamichi," the faerie assured him. "Reach into the fire, believe in yourself."  
  
"But..."  
  
"You won't get singed Hana. You can do it, trust me."  
  
Realizing that Rukawa would never give him another answer aside from the ones already given him, Sakuragi turned back to the flame covered altar and looked at the sword adorned within. He took a deep breath and plunged his hand into the fire. And to his great amazement and fascination, the fire did not hurt him one bit.  
  
"See? I told you."  
  
Sakuragi wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the sword and took it from the altar. After he retrieved the sword, the flames in the entire room vanished almost instantly.  
  
The long blade was made from finely crafted silver but the hilt was made from the firmest, toughest, yet purest of gold. Sakuragi examined the blade closer and realized that several words were written on it, but they were words he had no way of understanding.  
  
He looked back at Rukawa and asked, "Kaede, can you come over here? There are things written on the blade of this thing. But I can't understand them, maybe you can." But before the faerie could even approach, the sword he was holding began to disappear.  
  
"Kaede? What happened?"  
  
"That was no ordinary sword Hanamichi," said Rukawa as he approached the redhead. "The reason why it vanished was because there was no need for it to be used at the moment."  
  
"What do you mean Kaede?" If possible, Rukawa's answer just made the redhead even more puzzled.  
  
Seeing Sakuragi's puzzled face, Rukawa broke into a small giggle. "There's no need to worry about it so much Hanamichi. You can summon that sword back anytime you need it."  
  
"I can?"  
  
"Yes," replied Rukawa, still with a smile on his lips. "Let's leave this dark cave now, should we?"  
  
author's notes:  
  
Kaede seems to know a lot about Hanamichi that the latter does not even know, now doesn't he? There's a reason for this, will tell after 2 more chapters I guess =) To all those people whom I have disappointed for making such a slow update, I am so sorry! My damn school is taking so much time off my hands, especially this drama club I am currently being the president in.  
  
Notes to reviewers:  
  
kristel - Yeah, I know I have to update real quickly. Sorry for all the delays ^^  
  
Nakkie - Thanks for that review. I'll try to make Hana more lively ne? It's a bit hard for me to write about lively characters, but I will still try my best.  
  
Jo-sen7 - Maki already appeared ^^. Kiyota and Jin probably wouldn't, but I could try to alter some parts to accommodate them. Nope, sorry, don't play dungeon siege ^^  
  
sLL - Hana's level will be revealed in the latter chapters, but that will be a long wait. It will be in the last few chapters that this issue will be really tackled. Hope you will be patient with such a slow writer like me ^^  
  
Afura Cielers and Tina Caps - thanks so much (  
  
tbc 


	5. Chapter 4 Lunamir Day

Title:Faerie Confrontations

Part: chapter4

Author: Nanako

Genre: Fantasy, Alternate Universe, Romance

Pairing: RuHana, HanaFuji(Hanagata),MakiFuji, SenKosh, MitMiyaKo, the characters are sometimes ooc, and there is a lot of Haruko bashing in this fic

Disclaimer: no claim no sue

Dedicated to Nagyra, Afuna and Yen

* * *

_CHAPTER 4_

_Lunamir Day_

* * *

Kogure entered Miyagi's room and ducked quickly as a lightning bolt was shot at his direction. "Ryota!" he exclaimed, after recovering from shock. "Be careful where you aim that!"

Miyagi turned his attention to Kogure and smiled apologetically. "Sorry Kiminobu."

"You just came in at the wrong time," commented Mitsui, from his seated position on a chair in the opposite side of the room.

"Good morning Hisashi," greeted Kogure. "You're teaching him how to conjure lightning bolts again?"

"Yeah," admitted the prince. "He's already able to conjure it. But I forgot to teach him the more tedious stuff."

"Tedious stuff?"

"Yeah," said the prince, scratching his head. "Things like how to aim or control the things you conjure, especially things like lightning bolts, fireballs, and the like. It's a whole lot harder learning to control than learning how to conjure things." He sighed and continued, "Anyways, looks like we have to go."

"Go?" Miyagi asked.

"Today's Lunamir Day, and if you guys haven't forgotten, today is also my younger brother's engagement."

"Prince Sendoh?" Kogure inquired as the prince rose from his seat and began walking out of the room.

"Yeah," the prince replied. "But I still can't believe what Hiroaki sees in that hentai brother of mine."

"True love does not need any explanations Hisashi," said Kogure. "It just happens."

"I know Kimonobu," said the prince softly as he made his way out of the room.

* * *

Miyagi adjusted the belt on his cloak and complained, "Why does this have to be so darn tight!" 

"Oh stop complaining Ryota," said Kogure as the three of them made their way into the palace of Eilandar. "We already told you that it's too small for you, but you wouldn't listen. Now stop complaining, Ayako will be meeting us at any moment."

And just as Kogure had assumed, the high queen met them as they entered the Great Hall. "Nice to see you've arrived here safely, Hisashi, Kogure, Miyagi."

The three newcomers bowed before the queen as a greeting and the queen curtsied before them as a return greeting. "Come," she said, gesturing for the four to follow her. "Akira and Hiroaki aren't here yet, so all the others are just killing time."

"Akira's late even on his engagement!" Mitsui exclaimed. Then he shook his head and continued, "When will that brother of mine ever learn?"

"Oh, do calm down Hisashi," said the queen. "We ARE kind of used to Akira's being late and all. It's no big deal, really."

"I still can't understand why he can bear to be late on important occasions. This is his engagement, for heaven's sake," said the prince.

The queen just shook her head and gestured for them to follow her. After some time walking through the halls of the palace, they soon reached the doors leading to the garden.

The queen opened the doors and led the three outside.

"You guys wait here for a while. Kenji's somewhere in the palace. Haruko, Sakuragi and Rukawa are somewhere in this garden. Come, I'll bring you to where they are."

"Ayako," said Kogure. "There is no need to guide us there if you are busy. We..."

"Oh don't worry so much Kogure!" exclaimed the queen. "You're not bothering me, if that is what concerns you. I do need a breath of fresh air. And where else to get it, but here in my own garden?"

Kogure was about to say something but stopped when he noticed that their other companion had not said a word ever since they entered the garden. "Ryota?" he asked, turning his attention to his friend. "What's wrong? You're unusually quiet."

Miyagi tore his eyes from the vast garden and turned to Kogure, "Nothing's wrong with me, Kiminobu. I was just wondering where Hanamichi is and what he could be doing while waiting. If I remember correctly, he is the most impatient within among us four."

Kogure thought for a while and considered the thought. "You're right, Ryota. And he could be very destructive when he's impatient," he added, wincing as a memory of a very impatient Sakuragi surfaced in his mind.

"Don't worry about it," interrupted the queen. "He won't be able to do much damage to this garden," she added knowingly. "Now, why don't we go look for the others?"

All three guys agreed.

They walked through the garden and Kogure could not help but be mesmerized the beauty of the vast array of flowers the garden housed. Even Miyagi, who did not appreciate these things back home, was also enthralled by the garden's beauty.

Since they were so interested in the different flower display, they didn't realize that they had already walked for a good ten minutes or so. And the only thing that made them stop admiring the flowers was the sudden greeting of the queen.

"Haruko!"

"Ayako! Hisashi!" exclaimed the princess. She got up from her sitting position on the grass and abandoned the garland she was making. "Kogure! Miyagi!"

"Hi Haruko," greeted the prince. He looked around and asked her, "Where are Rukawa and Sakuragi? Aren't they supposed to be with you?"

"They were with me until a little while ago," said the princess. "But I think Rukawa got a bit bored a while back so he decided to continue Hanamichi's training. Come on, let's see what those two boys are up to."

Haruko dusted her long flowery gown and led the way.

"Hisashi," Kogure asked the prince softly so that the princess wouldn't be able to hear.

"Yes Kiminobu?"

"Haruko and Rukawa are engaged right?"

Mitsui nodded, and Kogure continued, "If they are engaged, then why is she still calling Rukawa by his last name?"

Mitsui sighed and waved a dismissive hand. "I really don't like to meddle in my siblings' love life. But what I do know is that, it has always been Haruko going after Rukawa, not the other way around. And you've met him. I think you would agree that it would not be easy talking with him, being a man of few words himself."

"Why are you so concerned Kiminobu?" Miyagi inquired from Mitsui's side.

Kogure shook his head. "I wasn't really concerned, just curious."

They continued walking in silence, as they could no longer find a topic to talk about.

Suddenly, they were suddenly stopped by the queen.

"What's wrong Ayako?" Mitsui asked.

"I feel tremendous energy," replied the queen slowly. "We have to be careful in approaching."

"Tremendous energy? Whose?"

The queen closed her eyes, and silence once again settled over the company. Then the queen opened her eyes and said, "I'm not sure Hisashi." She turned to him with troubled eyes and asked, "Hisashi, do you..." But she stopped and didn't finish the question; instead, she turned away from her cousin. "Come on, let's go back to the palace."

"What is it Ayako?" Mitsui asked, tone serious. "I've never seen your eyes that troubled ever since our childhood years. What did you see?"

Ayako shook her head and replied. "You wouldn't understand Hisashi."

"Try me," the prince challenged.

But the queen shook her head again. "It would be better for me to talk about this matter with the Prince Regent. Although this matter concerns our family as a whole, you guys are still too young to understand any of it."

Mitsui backed off. Ayako never called them by their titles, and by calling Fujima by his formal title, he knew the queen was serious and that this matter was probably way out of his hands. So he held his hands up and said, "Alright, I won't pester you anymore."

"Thank you Hisashi."

"Prince Regent?"

Ayako turned to Miyagi and smiled at him, firm and serious attitude gone once again. "It's Kenji's royal title aside from being a prince and being the ruler of Greendale. He never introduces himself as such though."

"Oh... I see," murmured Miyagi as they made their way back to the palace.

* * *

"Kaede?" Sakuragi asked when the raven-haired faerie he was following suddenly stopped walking. "Why did we come to this meadow?" 

Rukawa looked back at the redhead and said, "This is where we will continue our training. Don't worry, this is still part of the garden. I just didn't want to destroy the queen's prized trees and flowers while we have our little duel. "

"Why a duel now of all times? And I thought you said we were going to continue our training? What's with the sudden "duel" idea?" asked Sakuragi with a playful pout on his lips.

Rukawa raised his brow in amusement and asked, "Why, would you rather stay with Haruko while she makes those garlands? I clearly saw that you were bored halfway to death. And besides, you learn faster from hands on experience rather than listening to boring lectures."

Sakuragi shook his head and smiled at the faerie. "You know me too well for comfort Kaede," he said as he and Rukawa distanced themselves from each other. "But I'm not complaining."

Both boys stopped walking when they were about twenty paces apart. "Are you ready?" Rukawa asked Sakuragi.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Kaede," said Sakuragi.

Rukawa looked at Sakuragi intently as he stretched out his right arm, palm facing forward. As he did so, the wind around him gathered, and he was lifted off his feet by the gentle gushes of wind. And he did all this without breaking eye contact with the redhead.

Sakuragi kept his eyes fixed on the now airborne Rukawa, knowing fully well that the faerie will take full advantage of any slip in his concentration.

And was he ever thankful that his attention never wavered. Because, after Rukawa reached a height of about twenty feet from the ground, Rukawa crossed his arms over his chest, and instantly ice crystals materialized around him. Without even a facial hint that he was going to attack, Rukawa sent the ice crystals hurtling towards Sakuragi.

The redhead, anticipating the attack, quickly moved away. Without using any hand symbols, he called the winds to his command, thus making his escape from the ice crystals possible as the wind propelled him through the air. His aim was for the wind to help him gain speed, not to reach the same height as the faerie he was dueling with.

But the ice crystals weren't done yet. After they had severed the part of the garden where Sakuragi was standing but a minute before, they resumed their chase of the evasive redhead.

As Sakuragi maneuvered his way through the air away from the attacking ice crystals, he summoned a few balls of fire. And, after establishing a safe distance from the pursuing ice crystals, he stopped in mid-air and put his right hand in front of him, aiming the fireballs he summoned earlier towards the ice crystals.

The fireballs destroyed the ice crystals almost immediately upon contact. But, just as Rukawa's first onslaught ended, he started to launch another one from his position above. Minute water molecules gathered around him, and when he whispered the word, "Ryu," the gathering water took on the form of dragons.

Sensing raw energy gathering above him, Sakuragi looked up at Rukawa just in time to see the faerie's water dragons rush towards him. The redhead, using the wind once again, was able to avoid direct collision in the nick of time. As the wind propelled him away from the water dragons, Sakuragi gathered lightning around his right palm and fired it towards the advancing water dragons.

The water dragons tried to dodge the lightning bolts hurled their way. But it was in vain as the lightning bolts followed them and destroyed them upon contact.

As the water dragons began to lose their forms and disintegrate, Rukawa, still from his original position, attacked Sakuragi using both fire and lightning.

Sakuragi, this time, was late in reacting to Rukawa's offensive. So when the fire and lightning attacks rained down on him, he, upon instinct, summoned his fire sword and deflected the attacks.

After Sakuragi managed to deflect the last of his attacks, Rukawa stopped, summoned the wind again and landed elegantly before him. He looked at the unscathed redhead and commented, "You're getting much better than I had originally thought."

Sakuragi smiled at the comment. "Great teacher great student." He cocked his head to the side and asked, "But why did you stop?"

"Getting impatient again Hanamichi?" asked the faerie fondly. "Well, I'm not stupid. I know that I won't be able to hit you with anything I conjure as long as you have that out," he said, indicating the blazing fire sword Sakuragi was holding firmly in his right hand.

Sakuragi shook his head and the sword vanished. "I'm sorry Kaede. I summoned it up again without thinking about it. It seems to appear automatically every time I'm in a pinch."

"It's okay," said Rukawa. "It's also about time we ended our little duel anyway, the engagement party will begin soon and we need to change to our more... appropriate clothes for the occasion," he finished, indicating the rumpled and a bit dirtied robes he and Sakuragi were wearing at the moment.

"It was a good thing that we didn't wear our formal clothes yet then," said Sakuragi with a small smile. Suddenly a thoughtful look crossed his features. "What about Princess Haruko?"

Rukawa closed his eyes and the two stayed silent for a while. He opened his eyes not a minute later and said plainly, "She's already inside the palace." Rukawa informed him. He held his arm out to Sakuragi. "Ready to go back, Hanamichi?"

Sakuragi placed his arm on Rukawa's and closed his eyes. Without a second's notice, both boys disappeared without a sound and without a trace.

* * *

Ayako fingered her scepter as her eyes swept over the vast garden of her palace through the window of the throne room. Ever since she became queen, after her late father passed away, Ayako had always been firm and had a strong shield over her emotions. But what she saw a while ago had instantly pulled her shields down. Even Mitsui had realized she was troubled. True, this was a matter that concerned the whole royal family. But Sendoh, Mitsui and Haruko were all too young for this. The only person she could expect some help from now is... 

The faint sound of the door closing alerted Ayako out of her reverie. She turned from the scenery and faced Fujima. "Prince Regent," she greeted, their eyes making contact.

Fujima was about to say something in greeting to his cousin, but at the mention of his formal title, he stopped. His azure eyes took on a serious glow as he bowed before Ayako. "My queen, you called for me?"

"I requested Takenori to call for you, yes. Prince regent, I need to show you something very important. Come to my side."

"As is commanded by my queen." Fujima stood up from his bowing position and went to the queen's side in long quick strides.

When Fujima reached her side, Ayako took his hand in both of hers. "There is something I must show you," she said. Then without warning, she sent a mental image to her cousin. It was the image that she saw earlier in the garden when she had tried to reach out and look for the source of the energy surge in the garden.

Then, as quickly as Ayako held his hand, Fujima pulled away, his eyes wide open in shock. "That...That's impossible..."

But Ayako shook her head. "That's what I thought too. But we can't be mistaken, that IS the fire sword my late father told us about."

"But the late king said that it has been missing since we were kids!" Fujima insisted.

Ayako sighed. "I know...but that sword fits the description... you did see the characters engraved on the blade."

Fujima took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "I did see the characters, but...how could that be possible?"

"I don't know either..."

Fujima shook his head, knelt down before the queen and held Ayako's hands. "My queen,"he said. "I speak to you now, not as the Prince Regent, but as your cousin." He looked into Ayako's eyes, recognizing the troubled glow in them, something that she never showed her other cousins except Fujima, occasionally. "That sword we have seen before. I'm sure I knew of it even before the late King Edward made mention of it to us when he was in his deathbed. It belonged to someone close to us, close to me. I knew him and he knew me, even before you were born."

"I knew of it too before father told us about it. And I know too that the wielder in my memory is someone dear to us cousin, very dear," Ayako said. "But somehow... I can't remember who that person in my memory is. As a cousin older than me by a year, I hoped that you would be able to remember..."

Fujima shook his head again, sadly this time. "In theory, I should be able to remember...But I can't. I'm sorry..." He pulled Ayako closer to him and wrapped his arms around her, in a comforting embrace. "Why the human Sakuragi possesses the sword now must have its own reason. Though the reason evades us at the moment, I'm sure it will surface when the time is right."

Ayako pulled away and nodded. "I understand."

Fujima smiled and distanced himself from his cousin as he stood up. "Don't worry, if I find out anything related to that sword, you'll be the first to know. Now, let us make out way to the Great Hall. A royal engagement is never complete without the High Queen's blessing." Then he added with a grin, "Besides, Hiroaki's going to need all the blessings he can get with Akira for a fiancé."

Ayako snickered and she too stood up. "Come now, Kenji. All word about the sword should be kept within the four walls of this room. Let us now join our cousin in his royal engagement."

Fujima bowed before Ayako and escorted her to the Great Hall.

* * *

Fujima sipped the drink in his half empty glass as he observed the decorations for the engagement party. Although Ayako had told him to leave all thoughts of the sword in the throne room, he couldn't help but think about it. The guests had long since left, but he didn't give it any notice. 

It was useless to worry Ayako more, since she had a whole kingdom to govern. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Why did that sword show up now? After all these years it was missing?

And the biggest question was, why was it with Sakuragi? An ordinary faerie would be unable to wield a sword with such power. So how can a human? Just how strong is Sakuragi Hanamichi?

His thoughts were cut off when a hissed "Baka!" reached his keen ears. He turned his head to the other table and smiled despite himself. He stood up, bringing his glass with him, and walked over to his other cousins. "My my...already quarreling just a few hours after your engagement Akira, Hiroaki?"

Koshino, Sendoh and the rest of the occupants at the table – Haruko, Mitsui, Kogure and Miyagi - turned to look at Fujima, greeting the older faerie. Sendoh flashed him his trademark smile and slung an arm over Koshino's shoulders. "Well...we're not really quarreling. Just that Hiroaki here is such a shy boy..."

A kick under the table stopped him from going any further.

Fujima snickered and indicated the empty seat beside Haruko. "Mind if I joined you?"

"Oh not at all," Koshino was quick to reply.

Fujima nodded his thanks and sat down. He looked around the table as the conversation, which he interrupted by coming over, continued. Ayako was probably tending to some of the guests who had stayed behind, being the High Queen, and Akagi could be with her. But why was Sakuragi not here? He couldn't be off anywhere without his friends, would he? Besides, he didn't know his way around the castle, neither did he know any of the guests...Wait a minute, Rukawa's missing too.

Fujima sipped his drink as a thoughtful look clouded his expression.

"Kenji?"

Fujima turned to look at his cousin. Haruko was peering into his face with a worried expression.

"Is anything wrong Kenji?" she asked.

She noticed? Fujima shook his head and replied, "Nothing's wrong Haruko." He smiled and shook his head again. "Maybe I'm just tired, you do know how hard I train my physical and magical skills right?"

Haruko nodded, not fully convinced.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Fujima repeated. "By the way Haruko...do you know where Rukawa is?"

This time, it was Haruko's turn to look pensive. "I don't know...I don't know where he is... I have no idea where and what he's doing and thinking all the time..."

"Haruko?"

Haruko dropped her voice to a mere whisper. "He seems so distant to me...even before Hanamichi came. And now, he seems even further away from me...I don't know..."

Fujima held Haruko's hand and squeezed it lightly for assurance. "He's your fiancé, I'm sure everything will be alright."

"That's just it...he's my fiancé but I don't seem to know anything about him, neither does he seem the least bit interested..."

Fujima shook his head, "I'm sure everything will work out fine..."

"What's wrong?"

That voice...Fujima looked behind him. Speaking of the devil. Sakuragi and Rukawa were both there, behind him. Sakuragi had a worried expression on his face, while Rukawa's face was, as usual, swept clean of all emotions.

Fujima sipped his drink again. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he was missing something here. Something...his eyes traveled downwards and he raised his eyebrow, amusement barely hidden from his eyes. There, almost completely hidden by the thick folds of their robes, were Sakuragi's and Rukawa's hands, entwined.

He saw the faint squeeze Sakuragi gave Rukawa's hand before the redhead let go and went over to their table ad approached the princess. Rukawa did not approach his fiancé though, rather he went over to Fujima and sat down beside the prince.

"Princess Haruko...is anything wrong?" Sakuragi asked worriedly as he reached Haruko's side.

Haruko glanced at Rukawa before she turned back to Sakuragi. "Nothing's wrong Hanamichi... I just need to go get a breath of fresh air." She stood up and curtsied before the others. "If you would all excuse me." She straightened and nodded at her cousins before leaving the Great Hall.

An awkward silence enveloped the table as the princess left the hall, and Fujima locked his eyes on the two newcomers. No one spoke for a while, and as the silence stretched, with the redhead fidgeting under Fujima's gaze, the Prince Regent came to a conclusion that if he did not start this conversation, no one will. So he did.

"Is there something we need to know?"

The look in the faces of everyone in the table said that it was the question they wanted to ask, but were afraid to. And having Fujima ask it was a huge relief. With the question asked, everyone's attention was brought to the two in question.

Rukawa remained passive and just met Fujima's gaze with unreadable blue eyes. Sakuragi though, kept his eyes on the table and didn't meet the prince's gaze. Then he turned to face Rukawa, brown eyes pleading with blue.

And so it was Rukawa who spoke. "Hanamichi and I have been together ever since our transfer to Flores."

Fujima smiled while the other occupants of the table just stared at the couple. "I knew it," the faerie said. His smile widened as he continued, "Congratulations to the both of you."

This time, Sakuragi looked up and met the prince's gaze, an incredulous expression on his face. "You're not…angry or anything?"

Fujima was surprised by the question and he showed it. His brow raised, he asked, "And why would I be?"

"Because Kaede is Haruko san's fiancé…"

It was Mitsui's turn to react, and his reaction came as a surprise to the redhead. Mitsui laughed.

Sakuragi looked at the princess' elder brother with a questioning look in his eyes. "Didn't Rukawa tell you anything?"

Sakuragi shook his head.

"Rukawa never liked my sister, it was Haruko who insisted on the engagement," Mitsui explained. "We were all opposed to it because it was obvious she was forcing Rukawa into the engagement, but she insisted and we yielded to her insistence. Don't worry, we never took that engagement too seriously. In fact there wasn't a legal engagement, just a banquet and that was all. We never held the ceremony because Kenji here somehow knew that the relationship wouldn't work out."

"In short, even though we're not related to Rukawa in any way, we're happy that he's finally with someone he really likes," Sendoh added. "Haruko can be pretty spoiled sometimes, you know. But don't worry, she won't chase you out of Flores just because you're together."

Kogure and Miyagi were silent at first, trying to digest the information they were presented with. Then... "Who would have thought? Congratulations Hanamichi." That was Kogure.

"Yeah," agreed Miyagi. "I thought you two would repel each other for sure." He shrugged and continued, "Guess I was wrong, wasn't I?"

Fujima returned his attention to the two. "So now that we have your relationship out in the open, I have a secret of my own to share." His eyes swept over the entire table. "I usually tell secrets about my personal life to my relatives only. But I do think that Rukawa, Sakuragi, Miyagi and Kogure will be staying with our family for quite a long time and I just have to consider you guys as family. So it's alright to share it with you as well..."

"Oh stop with the explanation Kenji," Mitsui cut off. "Just tell us already."

Fujima took a deep breath. "I have a boyfriend."

Sendoh was the first to react. "Finally! I was wondering when my dashing cousin would find a lover. You don't know how long we've been waiting for this." He leaned closer to the table. "So, who's the lucky guy?"

"He's…" Fujima hesitated, his cousins were very good faeries, but this might come with some sort of shock. "He's a farmer back home in Katia's Haven."

"A…farmer?" Sendoh repeated, staring at his cousin.

Fujima nodded and Mitsui echoed what Sendoh said. "You've turned down more than a hundred proposals from nobles both male and female and you chose a farmer?"

"He's more handsome than any noble I know. And besides, I don't want a lover who doesn't appreciate the beauty of the fields of Greendale," Fujima explained. "You'll agree that he's the right guy for me once you meet him."

Mitsui crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair. "Maybe…but a farmer? Isn't that too simple for your tastes Kenji?"

"Even though my Hiroaki here is a commoner, he has royal blood in his veins."

Fujima sighed and turned to his cousins. He would not lose his cool. "Shinichi is more noble than all the nobles who proposed to me in the past put together," he stated. "I certainly do not want a fiancé who would stay by my side simply because of her noble status and live a lazy life by my side. I need a mate who understands my people and my land well, and that person is Shinichi."

Mitsui sighed. "Oh well. With that tone of voice, I think you have your mind set."

Sendoh smiled at his cousin. "So, when do we meet this gallant farmer?"

"Soon," Fujima replied. "When you meet him, I'm sure you'll agree with me."

Mitsui smiled at this and said, "Trust Kenji and his instincts." He and his brother laughed at this and he continued, directing his statement to the three humans and Rukawa who were with them at the moment, "One look from Kenji and he can quickly tell if a person is compatible with another. You should have seen his face when Haruko announced her engagement with Rukawa during a banquet a few years back."

"That face was priceless!" Sendoh agreed, laughing at the memory. Koshino stomped on his fiance's foot to shut him up.

Fujima cleared his throat, the memory of his reaction then bringing a blush to his cheeks. "Anyway, that was a long time ago. Besides, the reason for that no longer exists, since Rukawa here is no longer bound to my cousin."

Fujima smiled as Mitsui and Sendoh once again took the conversation into their hands. He looked out of the window right across the hall and sighed, he wanted to go back to Katia's Haven, he wanted to go back to his beloved. The issue about the fire sword and Sakuragi Hanamichi could wait.

* * *

A tall figure wrapped in a dark gray cloak walked up the steps of the palace in Katia's Haven. His strides were long and graceful, almost like a feline. But the way he carried himself was that of much authority. 

Maki saw the stranger before he even reached the castle doors. With his basket of new fruits in his arms, he observed the stranger. Yes he was gracious and full of authority, but something about him didn't feel right. And this made Maki uneasy.

The stranger sensed the presence of another faerie behind him. But he paid him no heed. Instead, he smiled and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

Maki didn't see the stranger's reaction, neither did he know if the stranger sensed his presence or not. One thing was certain for the farmer though, this stranger was someone they needed to be cautions about. He looked up into the afternoon sky and silently wished that Fujima would already return from Eilandar.

* * *

AN: I'm soooooo sorry, took me...years before this came out? ... (swt) Years to update just one chapter. Gomen minna! (hides from all the bashings) I don't know, my muses seemed to have disappeared over the years and I couldn't add anything to the precious chapter for a whole year or so. It was only recently that I've taken into writing again, and hopefully my muses are here to stay, for a long long while 

I hope this chapter is okay. More Haruko bashing, sorry to the Haruko fans. out there, if there are. And Hana kun's gotten stronger ne?

As usual, comments, constructive criticisms, suggestions and r&r's are greatly appreaciated. I hope you enjoyed this :)


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